{"id":822495,"date":"2026-05-26T04:22:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T04:22:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/822495\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T04:22:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T04:22:23","slug":"lapid-takes-aim-at-disaster-us-iran-deal-says-netanyahu-failed-to-achieve-victory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/822495\/","title":{"rendered":"Lapid takes aim at ‘disaster’ US-Iran deal, says Netanyahu failed to achieve victory"},"content":{"rendered":"

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid on Monday accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of failing to achieve victory over Iran and Hezbollah ahead of a potential Iran-US deal<\/a>, insisting that Israel must retain its freedom of action regardless of what the US decides to do.<\/p>\n

Addressing reporters ahead of his Yesh Atid party\u2019s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset, Lapid called the agreement taking shape between Washington and Tehran a \u201cdisaster,\u201d complaining that it does not deal with either the Iranian nuclear or ballistic missile threats.<\/p>\n

\u201cBased on the partial reports we have regarding the nuclear arrangements, we are going to miss the agreement that was canceled in 2018,\u201d he said, referring to US President Donald Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal<\/a> \u2014 signed by his predecessor Barack Obama \u2014 during his first term.<\/p>\n

It is \u201cabsurd\u201d that the deal was written without Israel at the table, Lapid continued, declaring that \u201ctime and again the Netanyahu government sets goals and fails to meet them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe current situation is the result of a continuous failure of government. Benjamin Netanyahu is a man blessed with talents, but he has grown old and tired and is surrounded by the least suitable people to run a country,\u201d he asserted \u2014 arguing that instead of the US and Israel toppling the Iranian regime, it only \u201cgrew stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Israel is a \u201csovereign state\u201d and not an American protectorate and a prime minister not dependent on Trump for a pardon \u201cshould have been able to stand up to him and say, \u2018Sir, we maintain our freedom of action, we are not committed to things that go against our security,’\u201d Lapid said, referring to Trump\u2019s efforts<\/a> to pressure President Isaac Herzog to pardon Netanyahu in his ongoing criminal trial.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tA woman walks past mockups of Iranian missiles along Valiasr Square in Tehran on April 6, 2026.(Atta Kenare\/AFP)<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no grievance against President Trump. President Trump does what he thinks is right for the United States, but the prime minister of Israel needs to do what is right for the State of Israel. That is not what is happening right now. He is completely subordinate to Trump, and he is bending us along with him,\u201d Lapid said.<\/p>\n

Trump reportedly has sought to assure<\/a> Netanyahu that a final agreement with Iran will fully dismantle Tehran\u2019s nuclear program.<\/p>\n

However, according to multiple reports confirmed by Israeli officials, the initial deal<\/a> will focus on extending an existing ceasefire for another 60 days and opening the choked Strait of Hormuz to vital shipping, with the key issue of Iran\u2019s nuclear activities relegated to discussions during that period, and no requirement for Iran to export its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. In addition, the plan is said to include a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, but does not include disarming the Iran-backed group.<\/p>\n

The Israel Defense Forces has been preparing for the possibility<\/a> that the deal would force it to rein in its war against Hezbollah, according to Hebrew media reports on Sunday.\u00a0A new round of US-brokered talks<\/a> with Lebanon is due to be held in Washington in the coming days.<\/p>\n

\u2018Our soldiers\u2019 hands are simply tied\u2019<\/p>\n

Other opposition party leaders also harshly criticized the emerging deal on Monday, with Yisrael Beytenu chair Avigdor Liberman telling reporters that it was \u201conly a matter of time\u201d before Hezbollah drones hit Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and that Israel \u201cmust achieve a decisive victory\u201d against the Iran-backed terror group.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur soldiers\u2019 hands are simply tied in Lebanon,\u201d the hawkish former defense minister asserted, following Hezbollah drone strikes that killed an IDF fighter<\/a> and hit a residential home<\/a> in the northern city of Metula.<\/p>\n

Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz, another former defense minister, likewise asserted that Israel must take action to stem the threat, telling reporters that \u201cthe best defense against Hezbollah is offense. If explosive drones continue to crash in Israel, no plane should take off in Beirut.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tSmoke rises from a rooftop in the border town of Metula, after a Hezbollah unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hits a home, May 25, 2026. (Screenshot via \u2018Top Line Media\u2019)<\/p>\n

Turning to Iran, Gantz insisted that Israel \u201cshould end the campaign only after the destruction of [Tehran\u2019s] uranium or its extraction, the cessation of production of long-range ballistic missiles and the cessation of funding for proxies\u201d and that \u201cat the very least, Israel must preserve for itself freedom of action in any agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Bang on Trump\u2019s desk\u2019<\/p>\n

Far-right members of Netanyahu\u2019s cabinet also demanded that he renew military operations in Lebanon in response to Hezbollah\u2019s explosive drone attacks.<\/p>\n

In a statement announcing his approval of a NIS 2 billion ($692.8 million) budget for \u201ctechnological solutions to the drone threat,\u201d Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for strikes on Beirut.<\/p>\n

\u201cA strategic threat is not met with defense alone; for every explosive drone, ten buildings in Beirut need to fall,\u201d he declared.<\/p>\n

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said Netanyahu must \u201cinform\u201d Trump that the war in Lebanon is being restarted.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tNational Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir speaks with reporters ahead of his Otzma Yehudit party\u2019s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset, May 25, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must not normalize the reality of explosive drones. The time has come for the prime minister to bang on Trump\u2019s desk and inform him that we are resuming the war in Lebanon,\u201d Ben Gvir declared in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must cut off the electricity in Lebanon, conquer the Zahrani, and return to high-intensity warfare,\u201d he added, referencing a river north of the Litani River, indicating a wish to expand the area currently controlled by the IDF.<\/p>\n

Expanding on that message at a press conference later in the day, Ben Gvir insisted that Israel inform the residents of southern Lebanon that they \u201cwill not return home until we have quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nava Freiberg contributed to this report.<\/p>\n


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