In Jerusalem, Israelis from various political backgrounds expressed anger on Monday over a provisional agreement between the United States and Iran. They labeled the deal a disaster for Israel and directed their anger at one person: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

By Monday evening, Netanyahu had not yet issued a statement. However, other government officials, political rivals, and commentators quickly criticized the agreement. This reaction served as an informal referendum on Netanyahu’s position ahead of the upcoming fall elections.

Critics highlighted Netanyahu’s growing isolation, both domestically and internationally. They argued that he led President Donald Trump to conflict with Iran and made promises beyond what could be achieved. Now, they said, Trump is extracting Israel from the conflict before it is ready. Critics alleged that Netanyahu miscalculated Trump’s stamina for prolonged conflict and was outmaneuvered by Iran in negotiations.

The former Prime Minister Ehud Barak stated, “Israel is paying the price of Netanyahu’s arrogance and blindness, along with his manipulations with Trump.” Barak added, “Iran has emerged stronger; Israel has been weakened. This is Netanyahu’s strategic responsibility. He failed.”

Yair Lapid, who will challenge Netanyahu in the upcoming elections, described the agreement as “one of the most shocking foreign policy and security failures for Israel, fully attributed to Netanyahu.” He stressed the necessity for change, writing, “It can and must be fixed. Netanyahu can no longer fix it, we will.”

The agreement may impede Israel’s operations in Lebanon. Following a missile attack on northern Israel by Hezbollah during the war’s first week, Israel invaded southern Lebanon. Iran insisted that US-Iran negotiations should include halting Israeli hostilities in Lebanon.

As negotiations progressed and Trump sought an exit from the war, he grew frustrated with Israeli attacks in Beirut, warning that these could jeopardize the agreement. Ultimately, Trump chose to end the conflict with Iran, limiting Israel’s options in Lebanon. This placed Netanyahu in a precarious position. His relationship with Trump could require scaling back a military campaign in Lebanon that had significant support at home.

On Monday, Defense Minister Israel Katz pledged to keep troops in Lebanon. “Hezbollah only needs to launch a single rocket into an Israeli town in the north, and the pressure on Netanyahu, already immense from his base and opposition, will increase,” stated Daniel Shapiro, former US ambassador to Israel and a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council. “It’s going to be very difficult to resist that,” Shapiro noted. “Hezbollah and, by extension, Iran hold significant power over this dynamic.”

Some of Netanyahu’s more hawkish coalition members criticized the agreement, urging him to continue the Lebanese campaign despite potential US annoyance and risks to the agreement. “We must not settle for less than the dismantling of Hezbollah,” wrote National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on platform X.

Questions arose about whether Netanyahu achieved his war objectives. The agreement has left the future of Israel’s campaign in Lebanon uncertain. In Iran, critics argue it restricted Netanyahu before he accomplished his goals.

Netanyahu and the US initiated the war on February 28, aiming to dismantle Iran’s nuclear ambitions. However, after a nearly four-month aerial campaign, analysts claim Tehran emerged stronger. It retains indirect allies capable of launching missiles toward Israel and has exerted control over the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting global trade and elevating basic goods’ prices. The extent of damage to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and ballistic missile program remains unclear.

Political commentator Anna Barsky wrote for Ma’ariv, “Israel believes the war delayed Iran’s nuclear program but didn’t change its objectives.” Israeli officials worry that under the US-Iran deal, Iran could receive substantial financial support. Three regional officials, requesting anonymity due to negotiation sensitivity, indicated the deal includes lifting sanctions and releasing frozen Iranian assets.

Yair Golan, a center-left party leader and former Israeli general, wrote on platform X, “Trump signs a deal funneling billions to the ayatollahs’ regime, leaving nuclear infrastructure intact, maintaining the ballistic threat, and offering a lifeline to Tehran’s murderous regime.”