Axios: Trump Administration Wants Israel to Provide Greater Support for Lebanese Government

Axios revealed, citing American officials, that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his team, despite maintaining a good relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, believe that Israel can make greater efforts to bolster the Lebanese government. This indicates divergences within the US administration regarding some of Netanyahu's regional policies.

According to the report, Rubio's team also expressed dissatisfaction with Netanyahu's failure to take sufficient steps to curb settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank.

These positions come in the context of a broader report revealing that advisers to US President Donald Trump are optimistic about the possibility of cooperating with the Israeli opposition if Netanyahu loses the upcoming elections, despite Trump's declaration of support for him.

Axios noted that Trump announced his support for Netanyahu on Tuesday after weeks of hesitation, while many of his closest advisers opposed this decision, arguing that it would be better for the US president not to intervene in the Israeli elections.

The site quoted one of Trump's advisers as saying that "Netanyahu is the devil Trump knows," noting that the US president has never dealt with an Israeli prime minister other than Netanyahu and does not personally know any of the other candidates.

In a stance different from Trump's, Vice President JD Vance refrained from declaring his support for Netanyahu, telling journalists: "I am not attacking Bibi Netanyahu, nor am I supporting him," adding that the endorsement of the US president is what ultimately matters.

Syria also in the circle of disagreements

Divergences extended to the Syrian file, as US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack expressed concern over the approach of Netanyahu's government towards Syria and the continuation of Israeli military operations on its territory.

Following Israeli airstrikes targeting a base in Idlib province in northern Syria, Barrack described the attack as "an unnecessary escalation that does not serve regional stability."

Israeli opposition leading in polls

The Axios report comes ahead of the Israeli elections scheduled for October 27, amid poll results indicating that the opposition camp is leading over Netanyahu's camp.

The latest Maariv newspaper poll showed the opposition camp securing 54 seats, compared to 48 seats for Netanyahu's camp.

According to the poll, 60% of participants preferred forming a national unity government if the elections did not yield a clear majority, versus 23% who support holding new elections, while 17% remained undecided.

Of all participants, 33% preferred that the unity government be headed by an opposition candidate, versus 19% who prefer Netanyahu, while 8% supported forming a unity government regardless of who heads it.

In a direct contest for the premiership, the poll showed Gadi Eisenkot leading Netanyahu by 49% against 41%.