Trump-Netanyahu call, restraint on Beirut strike signals 'Iranian victory,’ INSS researcher warns

A researcher from Israel's Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) has warned that a recent intense phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which reportedly halted an planned strike on Beirut, represents a significant victory for Iran.

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Hezbollah has suddenly recovered, and they have also created a split between Israel and the United States. This is a kind of enormous Iranian achievement.

Beni Sabti, the INSS researcher, told 103FM that the U.S. president's intervention effectively makes him an advocate for the Iranian regime. "Iranian hubris is growing and growing," Sabti stated, adding that Iran perceives the U.S. as preventing Israel from attacking. He believes this has allowed Hezbollah to recover and has created a rift between Israel and the United States, which he terms an "enormous Iranian achievement."

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The president of the United States is becoming an advocate for the Iranian regime.

Sabti characterized the current era as a "campaign between the wars," but noted that this time, Iran and its proxies are leading the charge. He suggested that Israel should act more independently, contrasting it with a past approach of "act first and talk afterward."

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Iranian hubris is growing and growing. They are essentially talking to themselves, and they see that the United States is stopping Israel, rebuking it, and not allowing it to attack.

However, Yaki Dayan, a former Israeli consul in Los Angeles, acknowledged the difficult exchange between the leaders, suggesting such conversations are necessary, particularly concerning Lebanon. He noted that while Trump is a friend to Israel, U.S. interests in Lebanon differ. Dayan also pointed out that despite Iran's outward displays of strength, its internal situation is difficult, with ongoing U.S. sanctions reportedly causing internal collapse.

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I think difficult conversations, certainly on the issue of Lebanon, where we are paying the high price for the negotiations between Iran and the United States, are even necessary.