Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told confidants that Israel has limited ability to influence U.S. President Donald Trump’s decisions on Iran, as Washington negotiates a deal aimed at ending the three-month-old war, according to two Israeli officials.
The comments, described to Reuters by officials familiar with the private discussions, come as Israel has largely been excluded from talks to reach an initial agreement between the United States and Iran.
The proposed deal, still under negotiation, could see Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the lifting of a U.S. naval blockade, followed by further discussions on Tehran’s nuclear programme. Indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran have been mediated by Pakistan.
Despite the deal not directly addressing Israel’s concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, one official said Netanyahu acknowledged that Israel “has no manoeuvre to influence the president right now”.
Israeli concerns centre on whether any agreement would restrict its military actions. Netanyahu has insisted on retaining the right to act against perceived threats, including in Lebanon.
This position could complicate negotiations if Iran demands a full halt to Israeli military operations as part of any broader deal.
U.S. President Donald Trump has projected confidence in his influence over Israel’s actions, saying Netanyahu would “do whatever I want him to do”. Netanyahu’s office has not responded publicly to the reported remarks.
At the same time, Netanyahu has signalled an escalation in Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“We are at war with Hezbollah, and we will intensify our strikes,” he said in a video message, adding that Israel would not take its “foot off the gas”.
The statement comes despite an April 16 ceasefire intended to halt hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed group.
A U.S. official said Hezbollah had ignored repeated warnings to stop firing at Israel, accusing the group of attempting to derail talks by launching drones and rockets.
Since the ceasefire, clashes have continued. Hezbollah has fired explosive drones at Israeli forces and northern Israeli towns, killing at least 11 soldiers, according to the Israeli military.
In Lebanon, at least 608 people have been killed in Israeli strikes during the same period, according to the World Health Organization.
Israel has maintained a military presence in parts of southern Lebanon, continuing air strikes on what it describes as Hezbollah positions, while ground forces have demolished areas believed to host the group.
Netanyahu’s latest comments have raised fears of a broader escalation.
Following his video statement, residents began fleeing Beirut’s southern suburbs, an area seen as a Hezbollah stronghold, according to Lebanese security sources.
Although Israel has largely refrained from striking Beirut since the April ceasefire, apart from a targeted attack earlier this month, its military said it launched renewed strikes on eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley.
Netanyahu did not clarify whether Israel would resume widespread attacks on the capital.
The Israeli leader is also under pressure domestically, with some ministers calling for a tougher response.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged intensified action, saying strikes on Beirut should follow Hezbollah drone attacks.
Another minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, called on Netanyahu to take a firmer stance with Washington and return to full-scale conflict in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has escalated rhetoric, suggesting people could take action against Lebanon’s government, though he stopped short of directly calling for protests.
The developments come as Iranian officials have been holding talks in Doha on a possible agreement with the U.S., even as both sides play down expectations of a breakthrough.
It remains unclear whether Israel’s escalation in Lebanon will affect negotiations, including a separate U.S.-brokered process between Israel and Lebanon, which recently agreed to extend a ceasefire by 45 days.
The situation highlights the complexity of parallel negotiations and conflicts, with diplomacy and military action continuing side by side.
U.S. Donald Trump has said he has cancelled planned strikes on Iranian oil and gas ports announced earlier on Thursday. Trump said he made the decisio...
Britain's Defence Minister, John Healey, and Armed Forces Minister, Al Carns, have resigned from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government over a...
Spanish football club Real Madrid has appointed José Mourinho as its new manager. The 63-year-old nicknamed “the special one” returns to the hel...
Pakistan says it has killed 26 militants in strikes on terrorist hideouts along the Afghan border, marking the most significant escalation between the...
Canada’s Privacy Commissioner has found that xAI’s Grok chatbot and its parent company X Corp. violated federal privacy law by launching an AI ima...
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said that U.S. President Donald Trump’s planned attendance at an upcoming NATO summit in Ankara will help strengthen alliance unity.
Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing will attend a video conference hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday (12 June) to discuss global economic imbalances, marking a rare high-level engagement between China and G7 nations ahead of next week's summit in France.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 11 June, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Bill Gates has told members of Congress that he “did not fully understand the extent” of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes during the period in which he associated with the late convicted sex offender while seeking support for his philanthropic work.
Mexico and South Africa meet in Thursday’s World Cup opener in Mexico City, with both teams approaching the match from very different positions but facing their own pressures.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry says 19 citizens have been repatriated following a deadly drone attack on two cargo ships in the Sea of Azov on 5 June.
The Pakistani city of Karachi is struggling under severe heat and humidity as the country enters a prolonged heatwave period. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has warned of above-normal temperatures across much of the country between 7 and 12 June.
Ukraine's military said it struck a Russian "shadow fleet" tanker in the Black Sea as part of ongoing efforts to disrupt Moscow's energy and logistics networks. The move underscores Kyiv's focus on targeting maritime assets it says are used to bypass sanctions on Russian oil exports.
U.S. forces say they have completed strikes on Iranian military sites near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded with missile attacks on an American base in Jordan, marking a sharp escalation in tensions between the two sides.
U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to seize Kharg Island and other major Iranian oil and gas facilities, escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran.
U.S. forces say they have completed strikes on Iranian military sites near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded with missile attacks on an American base in Jordan, marking a sharp escalation in tensions between the two sides.
Concurrent with the renewed military standoff between Iran and the U.S. in the Middle East, Tehran and Washington are clashing at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), where the U.N. nuclear watchdog’s Board of Governors is holding its quarterly meeting in Vienna.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has warned that escalating conflict in Iran and the wider region is placing multiple World Heritage sites at risk, with reports of damage to historic monuments caused by nearby airstrikes and shockwaves.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had carried out attacks against a U.S. base in Jordan and 21 other targets in the Gulf on Wednesday in retaliation for American strikes around the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian media reported.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment