London: US President Donald Trump has berated Israel for launching airstrikes on Lebanon that could wreck a potential deal with Iran to end months of war, highlighting the danger of retaliatory strikes by Iran to scuttle the peace talks.
Trump called on all sides to “stand down” from the latest fighting in order to seal a pact that would bring peace to the region, amid hopes for a swift agreement to open the Strait of Hormuz and restore the global oil trade.
But the Israeli government blamed Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon for launching rockets at civilian targets in northern Israel and breaching a ceasefire, leading to strikes on Beirut in response.
In a sign of Trump’s anger over the strikes, he told news site Axios that Israeli Prime Minister had “no fucking judgement” and had put the negotiations at risk, but he expressed confidence a peace deal would be done.
“Why did Bibi have to do a f—ing attack? I was so pissed off,” Trump told Axios, using the nickname for the Israeli leader.
Trump told Fox News he had called Netanyahu to tell him not to make any further strikes against Hezbollah, asking him: “What the f–k are you doing?” Trump also said he would ask Iran not to respond with missile strikes on Israel.
With Iranian leaders warning of a “strong response” to the strikes on Beirut, the Israeli government assembled a cabinet meeting on Sunday night (Monday AEST) to consider its next steps.
“Israel will not tolerate fire directed at its territory,” said Netanyahu in a joint statement with Defence Minister Israel Katz.
The Hezbollah rocket attack came on Sunday morning (Beirut time) and cast doubt on the peace talks when Trump was preparing for a birthday celebration at the White House with a UFC cage fight.
The US President is due to fly to France on Monday for a G7 summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, amid hopes the peace deal could be confirmed with world leaders at the event at Evian, on the shores of Lake Geneva.
The Israeli Defence Forces struck the southern Beirut district of Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold, hours after the rocket fire. The Lebanese national news agency, NNA, said at least three people were killed and another 14 wounded.
President Trump expressed his frustration on social media by urging all sides to “stand down” and describing the rocket attack on Israel as relatively minor.
“This morning’s attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran,” he posted on Truth Social.
“Israel has the right to defend itself against threats, but the attack it was responding to was very small and meaningless, nobody was hurt, injured, or killed, and should not disrupt this important process.
“We are very close to a Deal that will bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon, and all sides should stand down.
“There should be no more attacks by Israel anywhere in Lebanon, but there should also be no more attacks by any other party, including Hezbollah, against Israel. This could be the beginning of a long and beautiful peace — Let’s not blow it!”
The message highlighted the risk to the peace talks despite Trump’s comments to the media about reaching an agreement within hours.
The speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said the Israeli attack highlighted America’s inability to restrain Israel.
“The Zionists’ incursion into Dahiyeh has once again shown that America either lacks the will to fulfill its commitments or the ability to do so. By giving the green light to the regime, you cannot gain concessions. The game of bad cop and good cop is outdated,” he said.
The head of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, Ebrahim Azizi, said that a “strong response is coming” to Israel in the wake of the attack on Beirut.
The reactions highlighted the divisions within Iran, however, as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the country’s peak negotiating body supported the “path of negotiation” with the US.
“The Supreme National Security Council has concluded that the path of negotiation must be pursued,” Pezeshkian said at a meeting with media officials, according to Agence France-Presse.
The Lebanese national news agency reported Israeli airstrikes on targets outside the capital on Sunday, including areas around the southern city of Nabatiyeh.
Israel launched strikes on targets in Lebanon after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israeli communities on March 2, in a fateful decision to side with Iran, The country’s Ministry of Public Health said the Israeli attacks March 2nd and June 14th reached: 3,783 martyrs and 11,699 wounded.
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