Israeli strike on Beirut imperils a near-final US-Iran deal
Hezbollah launched several drones at northern Israel on Sunday, and hours later the Israeli military said it struck a Hezbollah command center in Beirut. The exchange landed just before the US and Iran were expected to sign an agreement ending their war.
Trump, in a Truth Social post, said the Israeli attack “should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran.” He dismissed the drone strike Israel was retaliating against as “very small and meaningless” and urged “all sides” to stand down: “Let’s not blow it.” Iranian officials signaled the attack could scuttle the deal ; Tehran has insisted any agreement include a halt to Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah and its presence in southern Lebanon — terms Israel has resisted.
The sticking point is the gap between US and Israeli aims rather than between Washington and Tehran. Trump’s public rebuke of Israel, after a reported expletive-laden call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over earlier strikes on Beirut, shows open daylight between the two governments as the deal hangs in the balance.