Deal with Iran ‘includes Lebanon,’ but Israel has right to self-defense — US official

After a senior US official briefing says the emerging deal with Iran includes a clause regarding broader regional peace, a reporter asks the top Trump aide to respond to Defense Minister Israel Katz’s assertion that Israel retains the right to strike in both Iran and Lebanon.

“The broad regional peace agreement is broad,” the US official says. “It includes Lebanon, it includes Iran, it includes the Gulf countries, and it includes Israel.”

“We feel quite confident that all of our allies — the Israelis and the Gulf (countries) — will get on board,” the US official says.

“That doesn’t mean they give up the right to self-defense, and if the Iranians don’t honor their end of the obligation, I wouldn’t expect the Israelis to not respond,” the US official clarifies.

Pressed further on Israeli concerns about the emerging deal, the senior US official says President Donald Trump and his top aides have been in touch with the Israelis throughout. “We feel that when they see the full terms of the deal and when they appreciate that fundamentally there has to be delivery from the Iranians before we deliver any of the benefits that they’re comfortable with (that they will be supportive).”

“They certainly have expressed some skepticism of the misreported details that we’ve seen out there,” he clarifies.

Asked more pointedly whether the US will allow Israel to continue striking in Lebanon as it has, the senior US official avoids a direct answer.

“I would put it back on Hezbollah, and on the Iranians. If Hezbollah is firing rockets at Israel, and Iran is paying for missiles that are getting launched into Israel, then obviously they haven’t kept there into the bargain,” he says.

“We expect the Iranians to be a real actor for peace, and if they are, then they’re going to get a lot of benefit out of the bargain, and if they don’t, then they don’t get any of the benefits of the bargain.”

“I understand the Israeli skepticism. They’ve lived with Hezbollah for a long time. Hezbollah has killed a lot of innocent Israelis, especially Israeli civilians. We don’t expect any country, whether the Gulf coast or Israel, to give up their right of self-defense,” he continues. “What we do expect is that if we’re able to have everyone participate in the peace process, that everyone else will do the same.”