Ben-Gvir: Israel not bound by Trump-backed agreement

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has stated that Israel does not consider itself bound by an agreement proposed by US President Donald Trump and will continue to make national security decisions independently, AzerNEWS reports.

Writing on social media platform X, Ben-Gvir stressed that Israel's security policy would be determined solely by its own interests.

“Trump’s agreement is not binding on us. Israel does not submit to the United States and we are an independent, sovereign state,” the minister said.

Ben-Gvir emphasized that while Israel values American support and appreciates Trump's backing, decisions related to national security must remain under Israel's control.

“My position is clear: we are not a party to this agreement that does not protect our security, and it is not binding on us in any way,” he wrote.

The minister also reiterated his opposition to any arrangement that, in his view, falls short of the complete disarmament of Hezbollah. He argued that Israel should not withdraw from territories captured by its forces and should continue responding to attacks against the country.

Ben-Gvir further warned that any drone or missile launched from Lebanon into Israeli territory would trigger an Israeli strike on Dahiya, a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut.

“This was the deterrence balance that existed just a few months ago, and we cannot abandon it under any circumstances,” he said.