A senior Israeli officer has stated that US President Donald Trump's disastrous deal with Iran forces Israel to adopt a double policy of both defying and obeying the agreement. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the US and Iran stipulates no fighting within Lebanon, sparking fury among Israelis who insist on maintaining the independent right to defend themselves against Hezbollah.
Israel's Dilemma Under the MOU
Israeli war veteran Brigadier General (res) Assaf Orion told the Daily Mirror: "Israel is fighting in Lebanon to remove the threat to its citizens and communities. Trump wants to stop it to allow the MOU to flow forward, so I think since the MOU has a 60-day window, Israel has to manage itself within it, then beyond it." He added that Israel insists on disarming Hezbollah, but the group resists even more after the MOU, which he described as reviving "Lazarus Hezbollah."
Risk of US Focus Shifting to China
There is a risk Trump's attention will turn towards China, which the West has long considered the bigger long-term threat. Bdr Gen Orion, former head of Israel's military Strategic Planning, said: "What I think we could see in the last weeks is that America is saying, okay, let's cut our losses. We still have China to deal with. Let's finish the Middle Eastern war before it becomes an unending war." He noted that Trump wants to avoid an endless war and does not want Israeli skirmishes in Lebanon undermining this goal.
Trump's Frustration with Netanyahu
On Trump's anger with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over attacks inside Lebanon, Orion said: "What we heard from Trump is that he wasn't happy with how it looked, and with the proportionality, and with the methods, to the point where he said 'you don't have to bring down a building because a Hezbollah member went in.'" Orion also cited Trump's suggestion that the new Syrian government, led by former al-Qaeda operative Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, could lead the war on Hezbollah, calling it a "bizarre and ridiculous idea."
Israel's Independent Operations
Orion emphasized that Israel must operate independently in Lebanon regardless of US support. He said: "The IDF is inside Syria, but it's under attack because there is still a gap in its capability to protect against First person View drones. And all of this does not amount to removing the threat from Hezbollah." He concluded: "You know what's the difference between a long time and a short time? It depends if you are standing by the grill or sitting on it. I don't think that Trump feels the pain that Israel feels about it, but the consolation here, I would say we are supposed to be able to operate independently in Lebanon, regardless of US support, in this sense, but it's difficult for us to defy US constraints."
