U.S. intelligence agencies have cautioned Donald Trump that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could undermine his delicate peace arrangement with Iran as he looks to protect his own political future.
According to a new intelligence assessment, Netanyahu, who is facing a general election in the fall, is expected to intensify attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Iran-backed militant group, in an effort to strengthen his standing with Israeli voters.
A person familiar with the report told the Washington Post that Israeli officials are deeply dissatisfied with Trump’s 14-point proposal, viewing it as overly favorable to Tehran.
The assessment says Jerusalem is concerned that the agreement could limit Israel’s ability to respond to threats from Hezbollah, according to a former official briefed on the matter.
The deal has angered some figures inside Israel’s government who want the military campaign against Iran’s regional proxies to continue, with several critics openly challenging Trump’s approach.
Sources also indicated that Israel’s presence in southern Lebanon, along with its strikes on Hezbollah fighters there and near Beirut, remains a significant issue for voters — a factor likely weighing heavily on Netanyahu as he confronts growing political pressure at home.
The intelligence report concluded that any pause in fighting or withdrawal from Lebanon would probably be seen domestically as a defeat for the prime minister, a current U.S. intelligence official said.
The hardline rhetoric has already been visible inside Netanyahu’s coalition. “For every tear of an Israeli mother, a thousand Lebanese mothers must weep,” Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, wrote in a post on Friday. “All of Lebanon must burn!”
US intelligence has assessed the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu will likely attempt to undermine Trump’s efforts to strike a peace deal with Iran
Trump has lashed out at his Israeli counterpart this week, saying at the G7 Israel is killing ‘too many people’ in Lebanon
Israel has exchanged strikes with Lebanon over the past 48 hours but just struck a new ceasefire agreement
Trump signed the deal with Iran on Wednesday at the G7 summit in France, caving on red lines he once drew over uranium enrichment, ballistic missiles and billions in frozen funds.
The deal hands Tehran a $300billion reconstruction fund, the lifting of all US sanctions and the release of frozen assets, in exchange for a pledge to never build a nuclear weapon.
US and Iranian negotiators had been due to meet in Switzerland on Friday to thrash out a wider deal, but the talks were abruptly called off as fighting in Lebanon flared.
Israel and Hezbollah agreed a ceasefire on Friday that took effect at 4pm local time, brokered by the US and Qatar with Iranian help, though Lebanese officials reported strikes carried on past the deadline.
The Trump administration has taken a much more hostile tone with the Israeli government in recent days.
While speaking on the world stage at the Group of Seven meetings this week, Trump said Israel was killing ‘too many people’ in Lebanon and called on leadership not to bomb apartment buildings when looking for Hezbollah militants.
The President has repeatedly said the Israel would not exist without the US in recent days – language quickly adopted by Vice President JD Vance.
‘Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time… If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world,’ Vance said at a White House briefing on Thursday.
People look for survivors at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building in Beirut’s southern suburbs on June 14, 2026
People clear the rubble at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Trump has expressed fury over Bibi’s constant bombing of apartments
‘Two thirds of the defensive weapons that have protected your homeland have been built by American hands and paid for by American tax dollars,’ he said, visibly frustrated.
Vance was supposed to headline the now-scrapped signing ceremony in Switzerland on Friday before the latest Israel-Hezbollah skirmish broke out. It is unclear when it will be rescheduled.
The White House has faced fierce criticism from both parties over the MOU’s inclusion of a $300billion Iran reconstruction fund.
The administration has promised that not a cent of US taxpayer money will fill Iran’s coffers.
‘We didn’t meet out of desperation, Iran did,’ the President posted on social media Friday.
‘They are FINISHED! We’ll play out the 60 days. They get no money, not ten cents!’
