Hours after US President Donald Trump announced a diplomatic agreement with Iran that reportedly includes the termination of military operations across multiple fronts, including Lebanon, Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir publicly distanced himself from the deal, declaring that it does not bind Israel.

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"Trump's agreement does not bind us. Israel is not subject to the United States, and we are an independent and sovereign nation!" Ben Gvir wrote on Monday.

The unusually straight remarks marked one of the strongest public reactions from within the Israeli government since Trump announced the finalisation of an agreement with Tehran.

According to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, both sides had agreed to the "immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon."

Ben Gvir argued that Israel's primary responsibility was to its citizens, soldiers, and the Jewish people, warning against making security concessions under international pressure.

"Every time we succumbed to international pressure at the expense of Israel's security, we paid a blood price with interest," he said, citing the Oslo Accords, the 2006 Lebanon agreement and previous periods of containment in Gaza.

While stressing that Israel remains grateful to the United States and President Trump, Ben Gvir insisted that national security decisions must remain solely in Israeli hands. "We love the USA and are grateful to President Trump. And yet, the State of Israel is not a banana republic," he said.

The minister said he had repeatedly conveyed his position to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, both publicly and in private discussions. "My position is clear: We are not partners to this agreement that does not ensure our security, and it does not bind us in any way," he wrote.

Ben Gvir also laid out several conditions that he said Israel should not compromise on, including the dismantling of Hezbollah, retaining territory captured from militant groups, preventing armed operatives from returning to Israel's northern border and responding militarily to any future attacks.

"We must not compromise on anything less than the dismantling of Hezbollah," he said.

He further argued that every drone or missile launched toward Israel from Lebanon should trigger an Israeli strike on Beirut's Dahiya district, describing it as a deterrence policy that Israel should not abandon.

"The days are over when the Jew took blows and kept silent. Never again!" he wrote.

Benny Gantz, former deputy prime minister, also reacted angrily. He said: "Under no circumstances - it is forbidden to agree to restrict Israel's freedom of action in Lebanon or to a withdrawal that endangers the residents of the north."

"The emerging agreement with Iran appears to be a strategic failure that will require Israel to engage in diplomatic, military, and legal struggles in the coming years, which only a broad Zionist government can lead."

Published on: Jun 15, 2026 1:21 PM IST