SUMMARY

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday evening defended his actions amid growing resentment in Israel over the emerging deal between the United States and Iran, saying Iran would not have nuclear weapons regardless of whether an agreement is signed or not.

During a brief press conference, he asserted, "Iran will never have nuclear weapons, not today and not tomorrow." He added, "People ask me what we have achieved? And I answer them - What we have achieved? We removed the immediate threat of annihilation from ourselves. Most importantly, we saved the State of Israel from the threat of total destruction".

Netanyahu’s remarks came as Iran reiterated that Lebanon remained part of the understanding linked to ending the conflict. According to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Monday that Iran’s position on Lebanon had remained consistent throughout the negotiations.

He said, "Lebanon and the end of the war in Lebanon is an integral part of the understanding of ending the war. We have shown in the past that we are determined in this regard. In this regard, we have proven in practice that we are serious." He also said Tehran would closely monitor developments and use all available tools to ensure commitments made by other parties were honoured.

In Israel, Netanyahu spoke after a day of criticism from the opposition as well as coalition partners. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett told reporters that the term of the Netanyahu government began with a civil war, continued with the October 7 massacre, and was now ending with a historic failure against Iran.

Promising to "restore security for Israel," Bennett said he would have done "everything" differently, including diplomatically by using his "credit with the President (Donald Trump) most sympathetic to Israel that we have ever had, solely for the benefit of Israel’s national interests," in an apparent dig at Trump’s repeated calls to pardon Netanyahu in his ongoing criminal trial.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said the agreement was "not binding" on Israel. Responding to speculation of a "fallout" with the US President, Netanyahu said, "There are times when President Trump and I don't see eye to eye. Israel's security interests need to be defended wisely."

Netanyahu also ruled out withdrawing from South Lebanon, a matter many feel could derail the proposed deal, which calls for a total cessation of hostilities. He said Israel had set up extensive security zones around the country in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, where it had destroyed all of Assad's army weapons. He made it clear that Israel would remain in those zones for as long as needed to protect the country.

He added, "We beheaded the leaders of the terror regime, we crushed the terror factories," and said, "You [Israelis] were all in terrible danger of death."

Netanyahu reiterated that Israel would stay in the security buffer zone in Lebanon for as long as necessary, even as differing interpretations of the US-Iran agreement continued, with Israeli officials maintaining that Lebanon was not part of the arrangement.

Published on: Jun 16, 2026 8:18 AM IST