[Salon] Netanyahu orders IDF to stay ready to strike Iran even if U.S. deal is reached

[Chas Freeman <cwfresidence@gmail.com>]

https://us18.campaign-archive.com/?e=da149fc84b&u=d3bceadb340d6af4daf1de00d&id=97f3913a7d

6/12/26

Netanyahu orders IDF to stay ready to strike Iran even if U.S. deal is reached

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that he and PM Netanyahu have instructed the Israeli military to remain alert for possible strikes on Iran, even if Washington and Tehran reach a deal. "We will have the ability to act independently to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons," Katz wrote in a social media post, adding that "Israel will not withdraw from the security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza."

Pakistan's prime minister announced on Friday that a final draft of a peace agreement between the U.S. and Iran has been reached, with a Western source telling Reuters earlier Friday that the memorandum could be signed as soon as Sunday. According to the source, the text is still being finalized, and Iran continues to insist that any agreement also include an end to the fighting in Lebanon, where Israel has been battling Hezbollah.

Curbs on fighting in Lebanon could be difficult to accept for Israel, which started the war alongside the U.S. in February but has not been included in peace negotiations. Netanyahu's office said in a statement on Friday that Israel was not a party to any memorandum of understanding with Iran.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah remains confident that Iran will ensure Lebanon is included in any agreement with the U.S., a senior Hezbollah politician said in a televised speech on Friday. "If the agreement happens, we have complete confidence in the Islamic Republic," he said. At the same time, drone attacks targeted northern Israel on Friday, while the IDF ordered residents of three villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate ahead of planned strikes.

The Iranian regime is signaling that its self-confidence has not been impacted, even after the latest American attacks. Three and a half months after the war started, the impression is that the new Iranian leadership (after the assassination of most of its previous figures) is more extreme, and perhaps more determined, than in the past, writes Amos Harel