The Times of Israel reports:

Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed Monday that the Israeli military will remain in southern Lebanon and warned that if Iran strikes, it will be hit “with full force,” promising that Israel will resist any pressure after the US and Iran agreed a deal to end the war that also reportedly includes a commitment to end hostilities in Lebanon.

There was no immediate comment on the deal from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but far-right members of his coalition said Israel would not be bound by the terms of the agreement.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the agreement was “bad for Israel and for the entire free world. Period.”

For their part, members of the opposition accused the premier of failing Israel’s citizens and betraying the armed forces.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid said Netanyahu “lost the war,” and collapsed in the “moment of truth,” adding: “There has never, ever, been a more absolute failure than Netanyahu’s diplomatic failure on the Iranian front.”

“The time has come for us to recognize the fact that Netanyahu simply cannot do it anymore,” Lapid charged, complaining of “an American president openly and publicly telling the prime minister of Israel: ‘I am your boss, and you will do what you are told.’”

“The State of Israel won the battle; Netanyahu lost the war. The Israel Defense Forces fulfilled its missions, Netanyahu failed to deliver the goods,” Lapid told reporters ahead of his Yesh Atid party’s weekly faction meeting. [Continue reading…]