Discussions held today exposed disagreements between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right security cabinet ministers over how Israel should respond to US President Donald Trump’s demand that Israel halt its strikes in Iran, and over whether it should prioritize confronting Iran directly or intensifying pressure on Hezbollah in Lebanon, Channel 12 reports.
The exchanges happened during a series of limited security consultations between Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and senior security officials at the Kirya headquarters today, according to the report.
Netanyahu reportedly defended coordination with Washington, arguing that Trump remains aligned with Israel’s broader objectives regarding Iran: “We are on the same page as Trump. He is not releasing Iran’s frozen funds, he is determined to secure the nuclear material, and he is maintaining the pressure. Why should we pick a fight with him?”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir reportedly argued that Israel should resist US pressure, saying: “We need to stand our ground against Trump. We need to fight tooth and nail and make it clear that we have red lines.”
Netanyahu reportedly responded by suggesting Ben Gvir’s position was influenced by the approaching election campaign, a charge the minister rejected.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich reportedly argued that Israel should continue focusing its military response on Hezbollah targets in Beirut, seeming to suggest this would both weaken Hezbollah and reinforce Israel’s rejection of Iranian demands that Lebanon be included in any ceasefire.
“The right course of action is to stick with the Beirut model… Strike hard in Beirut. That will cause Hezbollah to beg for it to stop, and it could help further separate the [Iranian and Lebanese] fronts… Action in Iran carries diplomatic costs and is complicated. We can flip the equation. We should take advantage of the separation of the fronts and turn the tables,” Smotrich reportedly said.
The report also says that after Trump urged him against further attacks on Iran this afternoon, Netanyahu told senior security officials that Israel will strike Hezbollah targets in Beirut if the terror group attacks northern Israeli communities, even at the risk of triggering another round of confrontation with Iran, the report adds. Katz openly stated as much earlier today.
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