U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks suggesting that Iran could possess ballistic missiles as part of a regional balance have reportedly caused significant concern within the Israeli leadership.
According to a report by Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, citing unnamed sources, the agreement reached between Washington and Tehran has been met with strong criticism in Tel Aviv.
Israeli officials argue that the compromise effectively removes military pressure on Iran and have described the process as a “bad deal.”
Particular concern has focused on provisions linking Iran and Lebanon, which Israeli officials claim run counter to the national interests of both Israel and Lebanon. In addition, Trump’s reported assessment that “it would be unfair to deprive Iran of ballistic missiles while other countries in the region possess such weapons” has deepened anxiety on the Israeli side.
While no official response has yet been issued from Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously stated that, alongside preventing a nuclear threat, the complete dismantlement of Iran’s ballistic missile program remains one of Israel’s primary war objectives.