Netanyahu is working behind the scenes to influence Iran deal - report
Sources tell CNN the Israeli PM is using right-wing media and friendly senators to pressure Trump as Israel resists Lebanon's withdrawal, an Israeli offical tells Reuters
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is working to alter the US-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU) through back-channel pressure on President Donald Trump, enlisting right-wing media figures and pro-Israel senators to push back on the agreement, CNN reported on Thursday.
According to an Israeli source, Netanyahu remains deeply skeptical of Iran's intentions throughout the talks, believing Tehran was never negotiating in good faith, and still assesses there will be no final deal between Washington and Tehran.
With Trump having signed the MoU and triggered a 60-day negotiation window, Netanyahu is now trying to leverage allies in the American media landscape to amplify his message, including pro-Israel podcaster Mark Levin, who said this week that the deal "doesn't make any sense" and called the proposed $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran a "slush fund."
On the political front, Netanyahu is also leaning on pro-Israel senators to press Trump. However, that avenue appears to be narrowing. Senator Lindsey Graham, who had previously pushed for more aggressive strikes on Iran, reversed course this week, saying the deal "will be beneficial to the United States."
Separately, a senior Israeli official close to Netanyahu told Reuters that Israel is conducting "stubborn negotiations" with Washington over its continued military deployment in southern Lebanon.
Netanyahu has told Trump directly that Israel does not consider itself bound by the MoU's requirement for an "immediate and permanent termination" of the war in Lebanon. Israel has already scaled back some operations there under US pressure but has signaled it will resist a full withdrawal.