Fears are growing in Israel that Trump may hold Netanyahu accountable for the Iran deal

A regional analyst says fears that President Donald Trump could “throw” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid a critical proposal for a US-Iran peace deal are growing in Jerusalem, a concern that was highlighted on Sunday after the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) attacked Beirut for a second time.

Despite US warnings that any strikes would derail success with Tehran, the strikes came as Netanyahu prepared to convene Israel’s Security Cabinet and after Trump announced a new US-Iran memorandum of understanding (MOU) was expected to be signed soon.

“Today’s strikes in Beirut create problems with the conclusion of the agreement,” a diplomat involved in the talks with Tehran told Fox News Foreign Affairs Correspondent Trey Yingst, adding that “it was a clear attempt by Israel to destroy the president’s agreement and drag the United States back into the war.”

Trump went on to criticize Israel’s strikes in his song on Truth Social, and told Axios that Netanyahu “lacked judgment.”

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Nathan Sachs, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, noted that there is “absolute fear in the Israeli government,” calling it a “reasonable and healthy fear” about the pending deal.

He said there was a strategic gulf between the two allies, contrasting Netanyahu’s doctrine of sustained, long-term military pressure with Trump’s pursuit of quick diplomatic victories.

“There is now a sense in Israel that Trump may be getting tired of Netanyahu and the Israelis, and many others believe that if he is sick and tired of him, he may break the rules in other ways and turn to Israel,” Sachs, an expert on Israeli foreign policy, told Fox News Digital.

As talks continue with Pakistan’s mediation, the Israeli prime minister’s office issued a statement shortly after Trump announced a possible deal with Tehran on June 11.

Jerusalem is “not part of the cooperation agreement” between Washington and Tehran, Netanyahu said before repeating on June 12 that Iran is “working to destroy the Jewish state.” He assured the Israelites that he had dedicated his life to “preventing them from doing so.”

On Sunday, a senior Israeli official reiterated that Hezbollah’s attacks were against Israelis three days ago as Israel prepares for Iran’s retaliation.

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President Trump’s push for a US-Iran deal is raising concerns in Jerusalem that he may turn on Netanyahu as Israeli strikes in Beirut threaten to complicate negotiations. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Trump had already criticized Netanyahu during a phone call earlier this month, reportedly calling him “crazy” for the first strike in Beirut that escalated the administration’s negotiations with Iran.

“It’s not just that it looks like there’s a crisis – and it’s clear that there are insults being used by the president against the prime minister after a major military operation,” Sachs said.

“Israel and Netanyahu first looked at Trump and saw big carrots and big sticks,” Sachs said of the start of Operation Epic Fury and Roaring Lion on February 28.

“Trump was a great opportunity for Netanyahu because he was willing to break the mold on anything, but Israel made a potentially historic mistake by putting all its eggs in one basket,” he added.

“Netanyahu was always prepared for a long time,” Sachs said. “And the long-term isn’t four months; the long-term is years. Trump likes quick wins. If quick wins don’t happen — and they haven’t — now you have a whole new set of problems.”

“Trump’s choice appears to be far from pursuing a more comprehensive campaign aimed at Israel’s favored goals, and he has little idea of ​​what the deal will be,” he added.

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Lebanese security personnel search for victims in the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, on April 9, 2026. (Hassan Ammar/AP)

Sachs noted, however, that Trump and Netanyahu shared goals of curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions, ending Hezbollah’s presence in Lebanon and establishing a post-Hamas future for Gaza.

But he said, “having that list of wishes is not the same as having a strategic goal. Both have not committed to them as strategic goals that compel collective action forward.”

Sachs also pointed out that the rift between Trump and Netanyahu reflects a different situation.

“Netanyahu thinks of himself as a strategic thinker – very knowledgeable, and of course, he has a very high opinion of himself – but he is completely different,” he noted.

“Netanyahu is an educated, learned, patient, very suspicious and extremely pessimistic person. His image is more than, ‘I thought of everything in ways you couldn’t, because I’m smarter than you.’

“He’s very suspicious of everyone around him, and he’s been surrounded by these kinds of individuals for decades.”

In terms of personality and where they come from, their worldview is also very different,” added Sachs.

“You can’t imagine Netanyahu spending hours at night on social media. He doesn’t keep up with himself, and it’s hard to imagine President Trump spending hours reading books, which Netanyahu likes to portray himself doing. I doubt he has time for it, but that’s the image he creates, and I think part of the truth is true.”

“Netanyahu also believes that he lives with the problem, controls it, and kicks the can down the road. Trump is the opposite of that.”

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“The US can turn around and be indifferent; Israel doesn’t think it has that right,” Sachs said.

“Netanyahu and Trump have a very different time, and that’s partly country and interest – and partly personality.”