The principal takeaway for US President Donald Trump after Iran retaliated against "Israel" on Sunday was that "to secure an agreement with Iran, Israel must be restrained in Lebanon," Israeli daily Haaretz wrote.
An article by Israeli analyst Nataniel Shlomovitz, published in Haaretz, highlighted that the brief escalation led Trump to conclude that Iran is treating the Lebanese front as a matter of serious strategic weight rather than a peripheral negotiating variable.
According to Haaretz, Trump, through his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, “still believes he can reach a deal with Iran,” in line with his broader conviction that he can also broker “peace” between Russia and Ukraine.
The article noted that when Iran enters negotiations with an expansive set of demands, Trump tends to assume that all issues remain negotiable, reflecting a bargaining approach shaped by his background in New York real estate. However, the so-called "24-hour war" reportedly left him with a more circumscribed conclusion: “Lebanon is not just another bargaining chip.”
This assessment, Haaretz said, carries direct implications for US diplomatic strategy, suggesting that continued aggression on the Lebanese front would further complicate Washington’s efforts to reach a comprehensive agreement with Iran.
Operation Victory pounds 'Israel'
The IRGC announced on Sunday the launch of "Operation Victory," a military operation targeting the strategic Nevatim and Tel Nof air bases.
In an official statement, the IRGC said the operation was dedicated to the martyrs of the 12-Day War. It targeted key facilities at the two air bases in response to Israeli missile attacks on several radar sites located in three different areas across Iran.
This came after Israeli warplanes bombed a residential building in Beirut's Southern Suburb. Lebanon's Health Ministry reported that the attack killed two civilians and injured 20 others, among them eight women and children.
Shortly after the initial missile launches, the IRGC announced that the Israeli Ramat David Airbase had been targeted by its ballistic missiles. That strike, the IRGC said, was carried out in response to extensive Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon, as well as the killing and displacement of civilians in Tyre, Nabatieh, and other areas, including Beirut's Southern Suburb, which Iran had consistently warned against.
Source:Websites
