Washington is pressing Israel to avoid escalation in Lebanon while the US president tries to preserve negotiations with Tehran
Israel’s longest-serving prime minister and most controversial political figure finds himself at a major crossroads as the country faces a strategic conundrum. Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been at the heart of Israel’s political scene for three decades, is facing elections this fall after leading the country through almost three years of war.
The war, which began as Israeli retaliation for Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack, initially drew widespread support at home and sympathy from many Western governments. As it dragged on, international approval of Israel’s conduct, especially in Gaza, fell sharply, while Israeli public opinion became increasingly focused on hostage deals, ceasefires, and frustration with the government’s failure to deliver a decisive end to the fighting.
A joint US-Israeli attack on Iran that ended in April was the culmination of the regional war that has engulfed the region since October 2023. The operation showcased close US-Israeli coordination, but Reuters has reported that the two countries’ objectives later diverged, with Washington focused on preserving Iran negotiations and reopening the Strait of Hormuz while Israel sought to preserve freedom of action against Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed threats.
The confrontation with Iran did not begin with the later joint US-Israeli operation. In June 2025, Israel and Iran fought an intense direct conflict that brought open strikes between the two countries into the center of the regional war, sharpening Israeli concerns over Iran’s nuclear program and its network of armed proxies. A later joint US-Israeli attack on Iran, which ended in April 2026, marked a new phase in that confrontation and showcased close coordination between Washington and Jerusalem. That alignment has since come under strain as President Trump pursues a deal with Tehran while pressing Netanyahu to avoid escalation in Lebanon. Negotiations for a more permanent agreement are underway between the Trump administration and the Iranian government, while Israel cautiously awaits the outcome.
Monday’s tit-for-tat fire between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah organization, coupled with a reportedly heated conversation between Netanyahu and President Donald Trump, offered a stark illustration of the complex situation the Jewish state faces and the competing interests of the two previously aligned leaders. Neither leader denied any part of the reported conversation, which allegedly included expletive language from President Trump.
Netanyahu has no leverage with Trump essentially accusing him of being the reason behind the delay in reaching a ceasefire with Iran
“The alleged conversation exposed the give-and-take relationship between Netanyahu and Trump,” Dr. Kobby Barda, a senior researcher at the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI), told The Media Line. “Netanyahu has no leverage with Trump essentially accusing him of being the reason behind the delay in reaching a ceasefire with Iran.
After Hezbollah continued attacking Israeli forces in Lebanon and firing rockets at Israeli communities in northern Israel, Netanyahu threatened on Monday to strike Beirut. The threat elicited a counterthreat from Iran, Hezbollah’s main sponsor, to withdraw from the ceasefire negotiations with the US. According to several media reports, President Trump then called Netanyahu and ordered him to halt any plans to strike Hezbollah targets in the Lebanese capital. Whether Netanyahu agreed or not, the Israeli military did not strike targets in Beirut overnight.
Israel, as a partner, cannot just enjoy the benefits of the partnership and do whatever it wants
“Israel and the US embarked on the war against Iran and are still partners,” Roni Rimon, a strategic adviser and partner at the public relations firm Rimon Cohen & Co., told The Media Line. “Israel, as a partner, cannot just enjoy the benefits of the partnership and do whatever it wants.”
For Netanyahu’s supporters and opponents alike, reports that President Trump screamed at him and ordered him to turn back Israeli troops became an opportunity to score political points four months before the scheduled election. From across the political spectrum, Netanyahu was criticized for yielding to American demands, giving rivals an opening to attack the Israeli leader, whose party leads in all polls.
“This is not a good position, not for Israel and not for Netanyahu,” said Barda. “He put all his eggs in one basket.”
Throughout his years in office, Netanyahu has cultivated close ties with the Republican Party, largely alienating much of the Democratic Party. Heightened tensions with the Obama and Biden administrations marked some of the lowest points in relations between the two allies.
“We are at a critical moment regarding a decision on whether the situation will escalate or enter a ceasefire,” Barda added.
According to Ariel Sender, head of the Republican Party’s campaign in Israel, reports of tension and harsh personal remarks during the call are false.
“The two leaders had an important conversation in which each one presented their position,” Sender told The Media Line. “Trump told Netanyahu he cannot escalate the attacks on Lebanon without coordinating with the US in advance.”
“Trump wants to control whatever has potential impact on a deal with Iran,” Sender added.
Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party and a key rival to Netanyahu’s Likud party in the upcoming election, blasted Netanyahu for “capitulating” to President Trump’s demand.
There has never been a prime minister in Israel who capitulated to such a demand, one that is blatantly unreasonable!
“There has never been a prime minister in Israel who capitulated to such a demand, one that is blatantly unreasonable!” Eisenkot, a former minister and Israeli military chief, posted on X.
Hezbollah began firing at Israel two days after the joint US-Israeli attack began in March. The fighting ended in a ceasefire days after the Iranian ceasefire took effect in April. Since then, Israel has continued to strike Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, further cementing its presence in the area, which Hezbollah says violates the original ceasefire reached in November 2024.
“What Netanyahu, the government, and the cabinet are doing today is harming the national interests of the State of Israel from a place of weakness. And don’t try to spin tales about the connection to the US’s negotiations with Iran,” Eisenkot continued.
“Trump is much more aggressive in his coercion, and Netanyahu’s hands are tied,” said Barda.
Fourteen Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire began, many of them by Hezbollah-operated fiber-optic drones that pose a significant challenge to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
“The continued attacks by Hezbollah and the fact that the US is limiting Israel’s response to a certain extent, prevent Israel from doing what it thinks it needs to do militarily, which is a much more aggressive response,” said Rimon. “This creates internal pressure in Israel.”
“Netanyahu is within the boundaries of whether to appease Trump or Israeli public opinion,” he continued. “Without public opinion, Netanyahu would choose to follow the US because of the partnership between the two. What he is doing now is trying to increase the pressure on Lebanon without taking actions that the US forbids him to take.”
Hezbollah fire into Israel continued Tuesday, despite President Trump’s declaration that Israel and Hezbollah would scale down the fighting. President Trump continues to insist that a deal with Iran is imminent. Failure to reach such an agreement would likely resume the war between the sides and bring Hezbollah into the fighting once again.
“Trump is creating a blame game vis-à-vis Iran and doesn’t want Israel to be the one that causes the negotiations to fail,” said Sender. “He wants to Iranian’s to be the ones to decline a deal, and then he will have legitimacy to resume the war.”
Elections in Israel are scheduled for the fall. Netanyahu, who is on trial on several corruption charges, is seen by his supporters as the leader who improved Israel’s regional status by projecting strength after Hamas’ deadly attack in October 2023. The opposition, which says Netanyahu is unfit for leadership, sees him as responsible for the greatest terrorist attack to hit the Jewish state because of Hamas’ surprise offensive. His opponents also blame him for dragging out the war to avoid an investigation into the events that led to the attack and to delay an election that could remove him from power.
Still, ballots are expected to open at the end of October, and while some polls give Netanyahu’s Likud party a larger lead than others, several surveys suggest his ability to form a coalition is at risk.
“Netanyahu’s situation is not good,” said Rimon. “He spent his term cultivating his political base, but to govern, he needs 10 mandates from outside of his base, and those he is currently losing. The current situation isn’t helping him get those 10 mandates back.”
According to Rimon, Israel’s security situation is not the only issue troubling voters. Another divisive matter is a law that would extend the exemption ultra-Orthodox Jews have from otherwise mandatory conscription. Netanyahu, who needs his ultra-Orthodox partners to form a stable coalition, is caught between his political interests and growing public pressure to abolish the exemption.
The prolonged war has pushed the conscription debate to the forefront and threatens to deepen divisions within Israeli society. An unresolved conflict with Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas would only further strain the military, putting Netanyahu’s policies and political interests under even greater scrutiny. The war in Gaza also remains unresolved, with a fragile ceasefire stuck in the second phase of implementation.
For Netanyahu, the coming months could be among the most consequential of his political career. Caught between an assertive American administration on which he relies, unresolved regional conflicts, and an electorate weary after years of war, he faces a rocky path to political survival. Whether he can balance Israel’s security needs with mounting domestic and international pressure may determine not only the outcome of the election but also the legacy of Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.
