Intelligence Agencies Warn Trump Israel ‘Likely’ to Undermine Iran Deal: Report 

(Photo by Allison Bailey/NurPhoto via AP)

U.S. intelligence agencies have warned President Donald Trump’s administration that the potential peace deal with Iran could be compromised by Israel, according to a new report.

Current and former U.S. officials told The Washington Post that intelligence agencies have made it known to the administration that they believe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “likely” to take actions that undermine any deal in place.

Trump formally signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding (MOU) earlier this week. Vice President JD Vance was set to fly to Switzerland to also sign, but that trip was postponed amid Israeli strikes in Lebanon against the Iran-backed terrorist proxy Hezbollah. A ceasefire in Lebanon has since been announced.

Trump’s deal would see the Strait of Hormuz reopened, sanctions lifted, and even a $300 billion reconstruction investment fund for Iran. The deal has received bipartisan backlash, including from some vocal supporters of the president who feel the terms benefit Iran and its current regime too much.

According to intelligence reports, there is fear about Israel’s future actions in Lebanon, as any military conflict there would compromise the deal, which includes a ceasefire that Lebanon would be part of.

The Post reported:

The new U.S. intelligence report concludes that in the face of national elections this fall, Netanyahu’s political survival is linked to showing his domestic audience that he will not withdraw troops from Lebanon and that he is intent on escalating the fighting with Hezbollah, said one U.S. official familiar with the report. The official, like others interviewed, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity.

The U.S. intelligence report also describes Israel’s frustration with the terms of the Trump peace memorandum, which undermine its broader objective of maintaining maximum pressure on Tehran, according to a current and former official.

The report conveys Israel’s perception that the agreement could constrain its ability to defend itself against Hezbollah, one former official said.

A senior government official insisted Israel’s actions in Lebanon are only in self-defense.

“Israeli military activity in Lebanon is for the sole purpose of defending Israeli citizens from continuous attacks by Hezbollah,” the official said.

There is growing tension between the United States and Israel over current peace talks and that tension has bled out into public spaces multiple times.

Vance warned Israel at a Wednesday press conference that they need to “wake up and smell the reality,” calling the United States their only major ally at the moment. Vance was responding to reports Israeli officials are not happy with the current deal and are intent on keeping military operations in Lebanon going.

Trump has also given warnings to Netanyahu about strikes in the region, saying at the G7 summit that Netanyahu “gets a little excited sometimes.”

“We have a little dispute over Lebanon,” the president said. “I say, ‘You can do a little softer touch, Bibi. You don’t have to knock down a building every time somebody walks into it that’s from Hezbollah.”

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