The geopolitical landscape shifted dramatically as President Trump publicly excoriated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a military strike on Lebanon, using characteristically blunt language to denounce the operation. Trump called on both Israel and Hezbollah to cease hostilities and indicated that a US-Iran agreement could be signed “within hours.”
The timing proved explosive. Just as the diplomatic push intensified, at least three people were killed in an Israeli strike on the Dahiyeh area of southern Beirut. Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, condemned the attack and declared that the US-Israel “good cop, bad cop” strategy was “outdated.” Tehran has long insisted that any nuclear agreement must include an end to hostilities in Lebanon — a demand that has reportedly led many Israeli officials to view the emerging deal as a capitulation.
