Netanyahu Tells Vance Israel Has 'Many, Many Friends'
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- Netanyahu pushed back on Vance's warning that Israel was attacking 'the only powerful ally' it has left, telling Fox News: 'we have many, many friends.'
- Vance made his original remarks last month during a White House briefing, responding to an Axios report that Netanyahu was 'fuming' over the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding.
- Netanyahu cited Israel as the 'No. 2 country in cyber in the world' and named India as another key ally, while joking about his Facebook following providing 'overwhelming support.'
- Netanyahu said he respects Vance and has a 'very good relationship' with him, but added 'it doesn't mean that I agree with everything that he says.'
- Trump cursed Netanyahu for continuing strikes on Lebanon, which Trump said threatened the Iran deal; Netanyahu said Israel will put its security first and he and Trump don't always see 'eye to eye.'
- Iran maintains that an Israel-Lebanon ceasefire is a key component of the MOU, while Netanyahu told Fox his military has 'no restrictions' targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon.
- IDF strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs have killed dozens including civilians, straining the fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire that has already seen retaliatory flare-ups.
Why it matters: The public Netanyahu-Vance clash exposes a growing fault line in the U.S.-Israel alliance over Trump's Iran deal, with Netanyahu making clear he will not curb strikes on Lebanon to preserve the MOU. Iran has explicitly tied an Israel-Lebanon ceasefire to the agreement, meaning Netanyahu's refusal raises the risk of the broader U.S.-Iran deal unraveling.
