Netanyahu sidelined as US restricts Israeli army in Lebanon: Report

The United States has imposed a new reality in Lebanon and restricted Israel's military activity there under a recently signed understanding with Iran, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to hide facts from the Israeli public, according to Israeli media on Tuesday.

"Netanyahu is selling Israelis fiction on Lebanon as Trump sidelines Israel in Iran talks," headlined an article by military analyst Amos Harel in Haaretz newspaper.

"For now, it seems that the Trump administration has succeeded in imposing a ceasefire in Lebanon," Harel wrote. "The Israeli army and Hezbollah have stopped attacking each other."

He said the Israeli army has drawn down its forces in southern Lebanon and the Home Front Command has lifted some restrictions along the northern border despite pledges by Netanyahu and military chiefs to maintain control of the "security zone."

Harel accused Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz of hiding the truth from the Israeli public and "deliberately" misleading it.

"As usual, Netanyahu and Katz don't give Israelis the full picture, and, in fact, deliberately mislead them," he wrote.

"In practice, the US imposed restrictions on offensive operations already last weekend, soon after the three incidents in the Ali al-Tahar Ridge (Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon) in which six soldiers were killed," he added.

ISRAELI TRICKS

The military analyst said the government has been seeking to conceal the restrictions imposed by Washington from the public.

"The government is now trying similar tricks with regard to Lebanon: In its limited dialogue with Israelis, it is obscuring the restrictions imposed by the Americans, while hoping that facts on the ground will delay implementation of the agreements," Harel said.

"US President Donald Trump is invested in achieving quiet in Lebanon to realize his grand goal: a stable arrangement in the Persian Gulf that would allow him to withdraw his forces from the region quickly and put it in his rearview mirror," he wrote.

The Israeli opposition has attacked Netanyahu in recent days, accusing him of failure and being humiliated by Trump after the US president excluded Israel from negotiations with Tehran.

Israeli politicians and commentators said the Washington-Tehran understanding exposed Tel Aviv's declining ability to influence US decisions, amid accusations for Netanyahu of pushing Israel toward a "diplomatic disaster."

Harel questioned Tel Aviv's ability to continue occupying territory in Lebanon amid ongoing security challenges facing the army there, particularly drones operated by Hezbollah through fiber-optic cables.

He said pressure on Israel is not limited to the battlefield but extends to political tracks, pointing to what he described as "disheartening news" arriving for Israel after the US-Iran understanding.

He cited a joint statement issued by Qatari and Pakistani mediators on the creation of a "deconfliction cell" to ensure adherence to the termination of military operations in Lebanon.

"The wording of the statement implies that Israel, which is not mentioned in it, will not be part of the new mechanism," he said.

On Monday, Israel's public broadcaster KAN said Tel Aviv did not participate in the new mechanism to verify the ceasefire in Lebanon because Iran is part of it.

IRAN ROLE

The daily Yedioth Ahronoth said the Israeli army is preparing for "the next phase" in Lebanon amid assessments that Tel Aviv will reposition its forces to "more responsible defensive lines."

"The change in the mission is also felt on the ground, as most of the work by bulldozers and engineering vehicles is now focused on opening routes, and less on demolishing buildings, which had been the leading mission until now," it said.

It said repeated statements by Netanyahu and Katz that the army has the full freedom to use force in Lebanon only aim "to dispel the perception that the army is incapable of operating deep within the territory."

Despite the army's insistence that its forces have not yet begun withdrawing from southern Lebanon, all indications suggest the military establishment is preparing to "establish its presence in alternative defensive positions," it added.

Maariv daily, citing Israeli officials, lamented that the US-Iran talks have given Tehran a "legitimate status" in the Lebanese affairs.

"Negotiating with an enemy is one thing, and making Iran a partner in arrangements concerning Lebanon is dangerous," the officials said.

The newspaper said Israel considers the development as a "major achievement" for Iran.

"Iran demanded throughout the process that Lebanon be an integral part of the broader understandings with Washington and opposed the continued Israeli presence in southern Lebanon," Maariv wrote.

Israel and Lebanon held a fifth round of direct negotiations in Washington on Tuesday. The talks follow four previous rounds between the two sides that began in April as part of a track aimed at ending the Israeli war in Lebanon.

Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed more than 4,100 people and injured over 12,000 others since March 2, according to official Lebanese figures.

Israel continues to occupy areas in southern Lebanon, some held for decades and others seized during the 2023-2024 war.