Israel is in a strategically weakened position – and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will take a hard political hit if reports on the details of U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding are accurate, Haaretz columnist Joshua Leifer said on the Haaretz Podcast. 

Netanyahu had been “riding high,” planning to face Israel’s upcoming elections in the fall having compensated for his failures that led to October 7 by boldly “reconfiguring the map of the Middle East, and disassembling Iran's proxy network of Hezbollah and Hamas, and taking on the Iranian regime itself,” Leifer said. 

The Israeli leader thought “his legacy [would] be rehabilitated by those wars. Fast forward to where we are now, and that's not the case, and he’s having to confront that,” Leifer added. “Strategically, Israel's in a terrible place, where the Iranian regime is stronger than it was, and it is now able to enforce a new kind of equation where Israeli freedom of movement is limited by the potential threat of ballistic missiles from Iran – which wasn't the case prior to October 7.”

Netanyahu, Leifer said, has been “backed into a corner” on all of Israel’s fronts – Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and now Iran. He must follow Trump’s dictates and has turned Israel into “a total vassal state of the U.S.” and “Trump’s lapdog.” If he were to defy Trump, he runs the risk of losing American support, which could endanger the country even more.

Read more: 

What You Need to Know About the U.S.-Iran Deal – and What It Means for Israel

Report: Billions in Frozen Iranian Assets May Be Released Under U.S.–Iran Deal

Israeli Withdrawal From Lebanon Not Part of U.S.-Iran Deal, White House Official Says

'Don't Bullshit Us, Trump': Netanyahu Loyalists Rage at 'Treacherous' United States Over Iran Deal

Netanyahu Says Israel to Remain in Security Buffer Zones in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria After U.S.-Iran Deal Signed

Amos Harel: The Iran Fiasco Is Netanyahu's Biggest Failure Since October 7

Read more analysis from Haaretz's Joshua Leifer

Israel is in a strategically weakened position &ndash; and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will take a hard political hit if reports on the details of U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding are accurate, Haaretz columnist Joshua Leifer said on the Haaretz Podcast.&nbsp;
Netanyahu had been &ldquo;riding high,&rdquo; planning to face Israel&rsquo;s upcoming elections in the fall having compensated for his failures that led to October 7 by boldly &ldquo;reconfiguring the map of the Middle East, and disassembling Iran's proxy network of Hezbollah and Hamas, and taking on the Iranian regime itself,&rdquo; Leifer said.&nbsp;
The Israeli leader thought &ldquo;his legacy [would] be rehabilitated by those wars. Fast forward to where we are now, and that's not the case, and he&rsquo;s having to confront that,&rdquo; Leifer added. &ldquo;Strategically, Israel's in a terrible place, where the Iranian regime is stronger than it was, and it is now able to enforce a new kind of equation where Israeli freedom of movement is limited by the potential threat of ballistic missiles from Iran &ndash; which wasn't the case prior to October 7.&rdquo;
Netanyahu, Leifer said, has been &ldquo;backed into a corner&rdquo; on all of Israel&rsquo;s fronts &ndash; Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and now Iran. He must follow Trump&rsquo;s dictates and has turned Israel into &ldquo;a total vassal state of the U.S.&rdquo; and &ldquo;Trump&rsquo;s lapdog.&rdquo; If he were to defy Trump, he runs the risk of losing American support, which could endanger the country even more.
Read more:&nbsp;
<a href="What%20You%20Need%20to%20Know%20About%20the%20U.S.-Iran%20Deal%20&ndash;%20and%20What%20It%20Means%20for%20Israel">What You Need to Know About the U.S.-Iran Deal &ndash; and What It Means for Israel</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/iran/2026-06-16/ty-article/.premium/report-billions-in-frozen-iranian-assets-may-be-released-under-u-s-deal/0000019e-cee1-d142-a19e-ffe3b3640000">Report: Billions in Frozen Iranian Assets May Be Released Under U.S.&ndash;Iran Deal</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/lebanonnews/2026-06-15/ty-article/.premium/israeli-withdrawal-from-lebanon-not-part-of-u-s-iran-deal-wh-official-says/0000019e-cc34-d9a8-a5de-df772bc90000">Israeli Withdrawal From Lebanon Not Part of U.S.-Iran Deal, White House Official Says</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-politics/2026-06-15/ty-article/.premium/netanyahu-loyalists-rage-at-treacherous-united-states-over-iran-deal/0000019e-cb57-d1bc-abbe-cf5fa9ac0000">'Don't Bullshit Us, Trump': Netanyahu Loyalists Rage at 'Treacherous' United States Over Iran Deal</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-06-15/ty-article/.premium/netanyahu-says-israel-to-stay-in-border-buffer-zones-after-u-s-iran-deal-signed/0000019e-cc8d-d9a8-a5de-dfef2bd90000">Netanyahu Says Israel to Remain in Security Buffer Zones in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria After U.S.-Iran Deal Signed</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-06-16/ty-article/.premium/trumps-iran-deal-may-be-the-toughest-pill-netanyahu-has-had-to-swallow/0000019e-ccf3-d142-a19e-fff3acc50000">Amos Harel: The Iran Fiasco Is Netanyahu's Biggest Failure Since October 7</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/ty-WRITER/0000017f-da32-d42c-afff-dff23e3e0000">Read more analysis from Haaretz's Joshua Leifer</a>

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – a weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer.

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – a weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer.

Your audio guide to Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.

Haaretz Podcast

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – the Haaretz weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer. 

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – the Haaretz weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer.