The War After the War: Israel’s Fight to Keep Its Buffer Zones

By Elijah J. Magnier

The American-Iranian framework has ended the war but opened a new political battlefield. Israel now faces a diplomatic reality largely shaped by others. The agreement bears the signature of Washington and Tehran, not Tel Aviv, yet many of its most immediate consequences will be felt on Israel’s borders, particularly in Lebanon.

Benjamin Netanyahu enters this phase in one of the most difficult political positions of his career. His electoral campaign rested on two pillars: his privileged relationship with the American president and his claim to have delivered victories on all fronts, from Gaza and Lebanon to Yemen and Iran. The framework now threatens both narratives.

Netanyahu cannot openly challenge Donald Trump, whose administration invested considerable political capital in reaching the agreement. Yet he is equally unwilling to accept a process that could force Israel to withdraw fully from positions it now defines as essential to national security. This is where the ceasefire becomes a political trap.