# Netanyahu & Rubio Just Checkmated Vance's Iran Deal

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-pulse-of-israel-1194614/netanyahu-rubio-just-checkmated-vance-s-iran-deal
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-pulse-of-israel-1194614/netanyahu-rubio-just-checkmated-vance-s-iran-deal.md
Podcast: [The Pulse of Israel](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-pulse-of-israel-1194614)
Published: 2026-06-29T21:14:36+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avi-abelow/episodes/Netanyahu--Rubio-Just-Checkmated-Vances-Iran-Deal-e3len73
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/ff62200/podcast/play/122165923/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-5-29%2F427059992-44100-2-69f1edffafe87.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-pulse-of-israel-1194614/episodes/netanyahu-rubio-just-checkmated-vance-s-iran-deal
Duration seconds: 497

## Resource

In this video, I explain why Netanyahu & Rubio may have just checkmated Vance’s Iran plan.I am not pretending to be happy with the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire framework brokered by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The deal assumes Lebanon will disarm Hezbollah, even though Hezbollah is deeply embedded inside Lebanon’s political, military, and security systems. That is not strategy. That is fantasy.But here is the irony: because Israel reportedly only withdraws from southern Lebanon after Hezbollah is fully disarmed, Israel now has justification to remain there indefinitely. Since Hezbollah will not voluntarily disarm, and Lebanon will never dismantle it, this creates the foundation for a permanent Israeli security zone in southern Lebanon, with the approval of Lebanon and the international community. That is a huge coup for Prime Minister Netanyahu.That matters strategically.One of the most dangerous aspects of VP Vance’s Iran approach was linking Hezbollah’s actions in Lebanon to broader negotiations with Tehran. That would have allowed Iran to use Hezbollah as a diplomatic shield: Hezbollah attacks Israel, Israel responds, and Washington pressures Israel to stop in order to protect Iran talks.Rubio’s framework separates Lebanon from Iran, taking that leverage away from Iran and Hezbollah.Still, the greatest failure was not diplomatic. It was military. Israel should have liberated southern Lebanon up to at least the Litani River, which even David Ben-Gurion back in the 1920s expressed as the most optimal Northern border for Israel, pushing Hezbollah away from our northern communities and our soldiers. Our heroic IDF fighters were ready, but the senior command failed to capitalize on the opportunity.Meanwhile, Hamas must still be destroyed in Gaza, jihadis still r…

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