On May 10 (US time), CBS News quoted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying that Israel would not accept stopping fighting with Hezbollah forces in Lebanon in exchange for an agreement to end the conflict with Iran.
When asked if Israel would agree to end military operations against Hezbollah if it was part of a peace agreement with Iran, Netanyahu replied "no".
However, the Israeli Prime Minister did not directly answer the question of whether Tel Aviv would stop fighting Hezbollah if US President Donald Trump requested it.
According to Mr. Netanyahu, if Iran is significantly weakened or a major change in power occurs, this could lead to the collapse of Tehran-backed forces in the region. He mentioned Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the Houthi forces in Yemen belonging to the Ansar Allah movement.
Hezbollah is a political - military force with great influence in Lebanon and has long been considered a close ally of Iran. For many years, Israel has considered Hezbollah one of the biggest security threats on the northern border.
Meanwhile, Hamas and the Houthi forces are also often mentioned in Israel's regional security calculations. Tel Aviv believes that these groups are part of Tehran's wider network of influence in the Middle East.
Netanyahu's statement was made in the context of diplomatic efforts related to Iran continuing to be noticed. Some parties are monitoring the possibility of reaching an agreement to de-escalate the conflict between the US, Israel and Iran. However, the new statement of the Israeli Prime Minister shows that Tel Aviv does not want to put the Hezbollah issue into concession in exchanges with Tehran.
This stance also reflects how Israel views the relationship between Iran and the armed forces in the region. According to Mr. Netanyahu, weakening Iran could directly affect the operational capabilities of these groups.
Iran and Hezbollah have not yet responded immediately to the Israeli Prime Minister's statement.
