Leiter: Israel wants US-Iran MOU to succeed, but funds cannot reach Hezbollah

WASHINGTON — Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter says Israel wants the memorandum of understanding reached last week between the US and Iran to succeed.

“We all support President Trump’s vision of ensuring that Iran no longer has nuclear capabilities, ballistic missiles or the ability to funnel money to its proxies to threaten its neighbors and maintain its regional hegemony,” Leiter says in a statement.

Trump notably last week rejected calls to bar Iran from having any ballistic missiles, arguing that it should be allowed to have some if other countries in the region do, in comments that sparked further alarm in Jerusalem.

That concern peaked yesterday when the US announced a new deconfliction cell as part of its negotiations with Iran that will be tasked with preventing further escalations in Lebanon. The deconfliction cell is said to curb Israel’s ability to operate against Hezbollah, and would replace an already-existing mechanism in which Jerusalem has a more active role.

“I fear that the concept of ‘deconfliction’ is misplaced,” Leiter says, in reference to the new cell.

“Israel is not in conflict with Lebanon. Therefore, deconfliction is not the issue. All that is needed is coordination with Lebanon,” the ambassador says.”The only issue is Hezbollah. Hezbollah must be defeated and removed from the equation. Instead, there is a danger that Hezbollah has received a boost. It certainly feels stronger and bolder.”

Leiter goes on in his statement to pose questions, which he doesn’t say who they’re for, but appears to be directing them to the Americans.

He notes that the previous meeting resulted in a joint statement from the US, Israel and Lebanon regarding the need to disarm Hezbollah and asks whether that is still the basis of talks in DC.

“For us, it must remain so,” he says. “We agreed to a ceasefire that was conditional on Hezbollah withdrawing north. Is this agreement still binding?” Leiter asks.

“We cannot afford commitments that fade away. And it is important to be clear: Israel will act against immediate and evolving threats to its citizens and soldiers,” he adds.

“Iran is expected to benefit from a flow of funds under the MOU. How do we ensure that these funds do not find their way to Hezbollah?” Leiter continues.

“If we cannot guarantee that, then all the words we agree to here will make no difference, because Hezbollah will simply rebuild itself,” he warns.