The Israeli newspaper Haaretz has reported that the key lesson US President Donald Trump learned from the brief but significant exchange of strikes between Iran and ‘Israel’ is that “to reach an agreement with Iran, Israel must be restrained in Lebanon.”
In an analysis by Israeli commentator Natanel Shlomoitz, Haaretz explained that the strikes which took place late Sunday and early Monday convinced Trump that “the Iranians are serious about Lebanon.” According to the newspaper, Trump still believes through his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner that he can reach a deal with Tehran, just as he believes he can broker “peace” between Russia and Ukraine.
However, Haaretz noted that while Trump assumes everything is negotiable when Iran comes to the table with a long list of demands applying the same bazaar tactics he used in the New York real estate market the “24-hour war” taught him one crucial lesson: “Lebanon is not just another bargaining chip.” The newspaper concluded that continued fighting on the Lebanese front complicates Washington’s path to a final agreement with Iran.
Background of the strikes
On the evening of Sunday, June 7, Iran launched attacks on northern Israel in response to an Israeli attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs. Tehran later carried out additional strikes on northern and central Israel after Israeli attacks targeted Iranian territory.
Iran’s conditional ceasefire
According to the Tasnim News Agency, Iran agreed to a ceasefire based on a new conditional equation. Tehran declared that if Israeli attacks – or joint Israeli-American actions – continue in Lebanon and its south (not only in Beirut), the confrontation will resume. In such an event, Iran warned it would respond “more violently and on a larger scale than before.”
Iran’s commitment to Lebanon
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf affirmed that his country will prevent any aggression against Lebanon, whether through threats of an attack, by halting negotiations, or even by direct military action.
Source: Israeli media (edited by Al-Manar)