Benjamin Netanyahu bet that his joint war alongside Donald Trump would topple Iran's clerical rulers and bolster himself ahead of elections at home, as the architect of a U.S.-Israeli alliance that would reshape the Middle East, Reuters reported.
Instead, Israel's longest-serving prime minister is on a collision course with Trump as the U.S. president seeks to extricate himself from the war, with both men's goals unmet and Israeli military operations tied down in Lebanon.
For now, Israeli officials have been cautious in public for fear of angering their most important ally, known for being prickly towards critics.
But in private conversations, the frustration is clear. The preliminary agreement is "terrible for Israel," said one senior Israeli official, giving a frank assessment on condition of anonymity. "And there is no one in the Israeli leadership who views it otherwise, from the prime minister to the chief of staff."
Washington says that over the next 60 days, when a ceasefire is in place, it will negotiate full terms that will address U.S. and Israeli concerns, especially over Iran's nuclear programme.
But Israeli officials told Reuters they thought the negotiating period under the deal was likely to be extended, tying Israel's hands from taking military action, while its concerns remain unresolved.
Netanyahu and Trump have repeatedly clashed over Israel's refusal to constrain its pursuit of Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, where a cessation of hostilities is a key Iranian demand.
At the start of the month, Trump described Netanyahu as "fucking crazy" in an angry phone call, ordering him not to strike Beirut while the U.S. was seeking a deal with Iran.
Netanyahu called off attacks that day, but struck Beirut's southern suburbs a week later, provoking Iranian missile strikes on Israel and a public rebuke of both sides from Trump.
Hours before the U.S. and Iran announced their interim deal, Israel hit the Lebanese capital again on Sunday, after rockets were launched at Israel from Lebanon, fire Trump described as "small and meaningless".
Netanyahu said that Israel has emerged "strong and steady," with a leadership that stands firm and wise. At a press conference in Jerusalem late on Monday, he acknowledged that he and Trump have sometimes had their differences.
"He is the president of the United States, I am the prime minister of Israel. We many times see eye-to-eye and there are times when we see eye-to-eye less so. I am in charge of Israel's security interests," Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu, facing autumn elections he is projected to lose, may be more willing to defy Trump as he contends with an Israeli public that opinion polls show has grown sceptical of the U.S. president's commitment to Israel's security.
"This is a pretty stark moment of divergence of interests," said Dan Shapiro, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel under the Obama administration, now with the Atlantic Council think tank.
"He will try to not openly oppose (the deal), so as not to get into a brawl with Trump," said Shapiro. "But he will indicate Israel is not bound by it, and Israel reserves its rights."
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