Despite mounting criticism on the right over Trump’s deal with Iran, strategic analyst and commentator Shlomo Filber believes it’s too early to determine what the agreement really means. But on one issue he sounds certain: “Israel will not agree to withdraw from there.” According to him, even a confrontation with Washington won’t make Israel give up its security interests in the north.
Against the backdrop of criticism surrounding the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran and its implications for the northern front, Filber said Thursday in an interview with Tal Meir that Israel will not agree to withdraw from southern Lebanon, even if it leads to a clash with Washington.
2+Filber first addressed the criticism heard on the right toward U.S. President Donald Trump following the deal, calling for restraint before drawing conclusions. “I’m one of those who doesn’t rush into all-out war and start trashing and cursing. In the end we need to be decent. This man has been giving insane support to the State of Israel for ten years, so even if there’s one specific moment where he’s not going with us on the same line, we don’t need to forget everything and burn everything because of it.”
According to him, at this stage it’s still unclear what exactly the agreement includes: “It’s still not clear at all what’s really in this deal or not and what he planned. There’s more hidden here than revealed. There are too many missing pieces in this puzzle, and I’d suggest trying to complete them first before taking a firm position.”
2+However, when it comes to Lebanon, Filber sounded far more certain: “This was the first and really the only test in this whole affair from Israel’s perspective, where the Iranians tried to trap Israel. I’m not estimating, I know with quite a bit of certainty and almost without a doubt that Israel will not agree to withdraw from there.”
Filber added that Israel will insist on its position even against the Americans if necessary. “It will insist on this with the U.S., including if they need to enter into a confrontation here.”
2+According to him, the Israeli public backs this position almost unanimously. “On this issue there’s an Israeli consensus from wall to wall. Over 80% come and say that if Israel needs to enter into a confrontation with the U.S. to protect the residents of the north and the soldiers in the north—it should do it.”
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