'Bad for Israel': Why Tel Aviv Is Opposing Trump's Landmark Peace Deal With Iran

The US-Iran peace accord has sparked optimism across the world, with hopes of reduced tensions in West Asia and smoother maritime trade through the Strait of Hormuz. Israel, however, has not shared the same attitude.

The conflict in West Asia began on February 28 after the United States and Israel carried out coordinated strikes on Iran. As the fighting escalated over the following three months, several Gulf countries were drawn into the crisis amid Iranian attacks on US military installations in the region.

With the memorandum of understanding scheduled to be signed in Switzerland on Friday, a number of Israeli leaders have voiced their opposition to the deal on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

What Israeli Leaders Say?

Among the reactions, the most notable came from Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz, who warned that Tel Aviv would respond with "full force" to any Iranian attack linked to Israel's ongoing military operations in Lebanon.

Since Trump announced the agreement, several Israeli ministers, particularly those from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right coalition, have argued that the deal does not bind Israel.

“Trump’s agreement does not bind us. Israel is not subject to the United States, and we are an independent and sovereign nation!” wrote national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on X.

He further stated that the "State of Israel is not a banana republic”.  "We are not partners to this agreement that does not ensure our security, and it does not bind us in any way”.

“We must not compromise on anything less than the dismantling of Hezbollah, we must not withdraw from any territory that our fighters have captured and cleared of terror infrastructure, we must not return to a situation where thousands of terrorists sit on the fences of northern settlements, and certainly we must not remain silent for a moment in the face of fire directed at the State of Israel," he added.

Similarly, Israel Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich termed the peace deal "bad for Israel and the free world”. "We will have to continue the campaign to topple the regime ourselves and in creative ways, and ensure that Iran will never have nuclear weapons," he said.

Defence minister Katz also reaffirmed that Israel has no plans to withdraw its forces from Lebanon, Syria, or the Gaza Strip.

"Holding territory and maintaining security zones are among the IDF's greatest achievements... therefore we oppose an IDF withdrawal from Lebanon, despite all the existing pressures and those that will come," Katz said during a press conference, as quoted by media reports.

Why Israel Opposes US-Iran Peace Deal

Israel has expressed strong reservations about the US-Iran peace framework, with officials pointing out that the agreement does not address what they see as core security threats.

According to reports, one of the key concerns for Israel is the issue of Iran’s nuclear programme and uranium enrichment, which remains outside the scope of the current understanding. Israeli leaders have also said the country will continue military operations in Lebanon despite the proposed ceasefire terms.

Another major concern for Israel is the inclusion of hostilities cessation across regional fronts, including Lebanon, where it maintains active military objectives.

Officials have also pointed to broader issues such as the unfreezing of Iranian assets and Tehran’s continued support for proxy groups in Lebanon, Yemen and Gaza. These factors, according to Israeli sources cited in reports, are central to their opposition to the deal’s framework.