Israeli Official: Understandings with Iran Remove the Option of War and "Keep Plans Against Hezbollah on the Shelf"

SadaNews - Frustration prevails in Israel amid increasing signs of progress in the understandings between the United States and Iran, especially after U.S. President Donald Trump clearly stated his preference for reaching an agreement rather than escalating military action.

Israeli media reported today, Sunday, that a "senior official" stated that "communications are ongoing" between the Israeli government and the U.S. administration, in light of the absence of any official comment from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, compared to media briefings from his office.

The official went on to say that "Trump's conversation with Netanyahu last night was the first time the U.S. president spoke clearly about preferring a path of agreement," adding, "We were not surprised, but we felt disappointed."

The official claimed that the "true meaning" of the ongoing understandings is that Iran has effectively achieved a "continuation of the ceasefire without reaching an agreement," considering that what is currently happening does not involve any "real counterpart" other than "preparation for dialogue," according to his expression.

Regarding the negotiations, the official said that economic considerations and Iran's use of the Strait of Hormuz card "played a decisive role" in driving the negotiation process, noting that Israel views positively the fact that U.S. sanctions are not fully lifted on Iran, along with the continuation of U.S. forces in the region.

He added that these data mean, from the Israeli perspective, that the "military option has not been taken off the table," despite the decreasing likelihood of its implementation at this stage; noting that Netanyahu is pushing for the resumption of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

In relation, the official considered that including Lebanon in the understandings between Washington and Tehran is "bad," revealing that Israel was considering carrying out "strong" attacks against Hezbollah, but part of those plans "will remain on the shelf," as he expressed.

He added that Israel has "retained its freedom of action" in Lebanon "in case threats emerge," according to what was stated in the briefing.

Earlier, an "Israeli political official" claimed that the United States is updating Israel on the progress of negotiations regarding a memorandum of understanding related to reopening the Strait of Hormuz and moving to negotiations on a final agreement regarding "points of contention" with Iran.

The official stated, in a briefing to Israeli media, that Netanyahu emphasized during his conversation with Trump on Saturday night that Israel "will maintain its freedom of action against threats on all fronts, including Lebanon," claiming that Trump "reiterated his support for this principle."

According to the briefing from Netanyahu's office, as reported by Israeli media, Trump confirmed during the talks that he "will stand firm" in negotiations regarding his demand related to "dismantling the Iranian nuclear program and removing all enriched uranium from Iranian territory," and that he "will not sign a final agreement without meeting these conditions."

The official added that Netanyahu expressed again his "appreciation" for Trump, praising what he described as "his long-term and exceptional commitment to Israel's security."

These positions come amid increasing signs of nearing a consensus between Washington and Tehran, including extending the ceasefire and moving to detailed negotiations regarding the Iranian nuclear program and other regional files.

Trump announced on Saturday evening that negotiations on "most of the terms of the agreement" with Iran are complete, indicating that the understandings include reopening the Strait of Hormuz, without disclosing all its details, while the Iranian news agency "Fars" stated that the strait will remain "under Iranian control."

In this context, media reports indicated that mediators are getting closer to reaching an understanding to extend the ceasefire for 60 days and establish a framework for negotiations related to the Iranian nuclear program, including discussing the issue of highly enriched uranium and the possibility of transferring it outside Iran.

In this context, Netanyahu had informed Trump during their conversation on Saturday evening of his fears that the anticipated understandings with Iran would lead to a "postponement of addressing the Iranian nuclear file," as well as the "linking of the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon with the understandings with Iran," according to what was reported by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Authority ("Kan 11").

According to the channel, the Israeli security establishment estimates that Iran is "buying time," and that the essential issues related to the nuclear program will not be resolved at this stage, but will be postponed to a second phase of negotiations after about 60 days.

Israeli estimates also indicated that this course could effectively remove the option of delivering a military strike against Iran at this stage, a choice which Netanyahu has been pushing towards in recent weeks, alongside Israeli plans to expand attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon.