Tel Aviv (Diplomat.so) - Axios reported that Israeli officials, citing a senior adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israel does not consider itself bound by a Lebanon-related clause in a recently signed US-Iran memorandum of understanding on Thursday, 18 June, amid rising tensions over southern Lebanon and Hezbollah's military presence.
The adviser, speaking on condition of attribution, told Axios that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has conveyed to US President Donald Trump that Israel will not withdraw from areas it controls in southern Lebanon unless Hezbollah is fully disarmed, underscoring a divergence in expectations surrounding regional security arrangements.
US President Donald Trump, referring to recent Israeli actions in Beirut, expressed dissatisfaction with their timing. "Why did Bibi do this?” Trump said, adding that he was not satisfied with the operation and that its timing came shortly before what he described as a significant agreement with Iran. He noted that the strike did not result in casualties from Hezbollah fire but still generated diplomatic friction.
The Israeli adviser further emphasized the position by stating, "Israel will not withdraw from areas in southern Lebanon unless Hezbollah is fully disarmed,” highlighting what officials describe as a non-negotiable security condition tied to border stabilization.
The reported US-Iran memorandum has drawn scrutiny over its implications for Lebanon, particularly regarding enforcement of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006, which calls for the disarmament of armed groups south of the Litani River and the restriction of unauthorized military presence in the area. Israeli officials have repeatedly argued that Hezbollah has maintained operational capabilities near the border despite international monitoring mechanisms.
Tensions have also been influenced by recent developments in Beirut, where Israeli military action prompted criticism from Washington. Local residents in southern Lebanon described a heightened sense of uncertainty, with one shopkeeper in Tyre saying security conditions "change from one night to the next,” while a commuter in Nabatieh noted increased checkpoints and disrupted travel routes. An unnamed Lebanese security observer told Diplomat News Network that "the situation remains fragile and highly dependent on external diplomatic shifts.”
Analysts say the divergence between Washington’s diplomatic framework and Israel’s security doctrine reflects long-standing disagreements over enforcement mechanisms in Lebanon. The evolving US-Iran understanding adds another layer of complexity to an already volatile regional landscape, where border security, militia activity, and diplomatic negotiations remain tightly interconnected.
The coming weeks are expected to test whether the reported differences can be managed through diplomatic channels or whether they will deepen existing fractures in efforts to stabilize the Israel-Lebanon frontier.
