Coalition officials are voicing sharp opposition to the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, which entered into effect overnight, arguing that the agreement comes at the expense of Israel’s security interests.

Speaking to Kan Reshet Bet on Thursday morning, Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer said, “There is no one in Israel who wakes up in the morning happy with this agreement.” While emphasizing that the alliance between Israel and the United States remains strong and rooted in shared values, Sofer said Israel must be prepared to stand firm even when it disagrees with its closest ally.

“Sometimes it is our obligation to say ‘no,’ and I think our friends will respect that when it comes to something essential,” Sofer said.

Sofer stated that he does not see any scenario in which Israel withdraws from its security zone in southern Lebanon and argued that the U.S.-Iran agreement undermines and effectively collapses efforts to reach a diplomatic arrangement with the Lebanese government. He said the lessons of October 7 demonstrated that border defenses can be breached and that a military presence in a security zone free of terrorists and terror infrastructure remains essential to protecting northern communities.

“The peace and the new Middle East we were once promised is still not here,” Sofer said, adding that Israel must continue shaping its security reality through strength.

Addressing Iran’s nuclear program, Sofer said Israel’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure were “dramatic and significant,” targeting both key facilities and supporting infrastructure.

Earlier, Likud MK Avichai Boaron also expressed strong opposition to the agreement, saying Israel opposes it “completely and absolutely.” He said Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly conveyed Israel’s position directly to President Trump and warned that the agreement represents a strategic mistake by the American administration.

Boaron sharply criticized the terms of the deal, saying, “The American interest prevailed over our national interest and over the international interest.” He argued that while the world had been on the verge of dismantling Iran’s terror and nuclear infrastructure, the concessions being granted to Tehran in the early stages of the agreement are “high and absurd.”

Boaron specifically highlighted provisions concerning the withdrawal of U.S. allies from Lebanon and insisted that Israel would not agree to such a move.

“The Prime Minister informed President Trump that we do not intend to withdraw from Lebanon and return the situation to what it was before,” Boaron said.

Despite his criticism of the agreement, Boaron stressed that he still considers Trump a friend of Israel.

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