Maariv: A Crisis Between Washington and Tel Aviv Could Erupt Soon Due to Israeli Intransigence

SadaNews - The Israeli newspaper Maariv revealed, citing political and security sources, that a severe crisis could soon erupt between the United States and Israel due to the ongoing Israeli intransigence on sensitive issues related to the withdrawal from areas in southern Lebanon and the Syrian Golan Heights.

Israeli assessments confirm that the U.S. administration, led by President Donald Trump, is expected to intensify its pressure in the coming period to push Israel towards taking tangible steps in this direction.

The newspaper points out that Washington has sent clear messages to Tel Aviv indicating that the disagreements will not remain limited to statements and phone calls, but could escalate to a practical level that includes obstructing arms shipments and imposing security and military restrictions on Israel.

Sources clarify that the U.S. administration has directly requested that Israel withdraw even from the five military points deployed in southern Lebanon, in addition to withdrawing from the Syrian Golan Heights, considering that the continuation of military operations in those areas could jeopardize the political path with Tehran.

The newspaper adds that President Trump is exerting significant pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to show greater flexibility in dealing with the northern front issue, in an attempt to avoid any escalation that could harm U.S. interests in the region. Political and security circles in Israel fear that Trump will soon seek an official commitment from Netanyahu to withdraw, or at least to reach a compromise that would allow Washington to present it to the world as an American-Israeli achievement in Lebanon.

Recent American messages confirm that a crisis between Washington and Tel Aviv is imminent if Israel continues its rigid stance, and that it could develop into practical measures that go beyond statements, including concrete steps like obstructing arms supplies to Israel or imposing restrictions on military and security cooperation between the two countries.

These developments, according to the newspaper, herald a new phase of tension in the relations between the two traditional allies, amid the U.S. administration's insistence on making tangible progress on sensitive regional issues.