US intelligence agencies have warned the Trump administration that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to take steps that could undermine President Donald Trump’s efforts to secure a lasting peace agreement with Iran, according to a report.
Citing current and former US officials familiar with intelligence assessments, The Washington Post reported on Friday that Israel appears determined to continue aggression in Lebanon despite provisions in a recently signed US–Iran memorandum calling for an end to hostilities across multiple fronts.
Even without further escalation, Israel’s refusal to withdraw troops from southern Lebanon could jeopardise the fragile accord, one US official told the Post.
“Continuing to occupy part of Lebanon is a recipe for disaster,” the official said. “Without a full Israeli withdrawal, the likelihood of resumed hostilities between the (Israeli military) and Hezbollah is all but certain.”
Vice President JD Vance separately cautioned Israel against alienating its “only powerful ally,” saying Trump remains “the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time.”
Ceasefire takes effect amid ongoing strikes
A US official confirmed that Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire that took effect at 4 pm local time (1300GMT) Friday, even as violence continued on the ground.
Earlier in the day, at least 47 people were killed and several others injured in Israeli strikes across southern and eastern Lebanon, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.
Israel’s military offensive in Lebanon, which began on March 2, has reportedly killed 3,912 people, injured 11,873, and displaced more than one million residents, underscoring the scale of the ongoing conflict.
The developments highlight growing uncertainty around the durability of the US–Iran understanding as competing military and diplomatic pressures continue to shape the region.
