US President Donald Trump criticized Israel for launching an attack on the Lebanese capital Beirut on the day he said a deal could be signed to end the US-Israel war with Iran.
In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, President Trump said Israel’s attack on Beirut “should not have happened, especially on such a special day with a peace deal with Iran so close.”
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“We are very close to an agreement that will bring peace to the region, including Lebanon, and all parties should stand down.”
“There must be no more attacks by Israel anywhere in Lebanon, but there must also be no more attacks against Israel by any other force, including Hezbollah,” he said.
“This may be the beginning of a long and beautiful peace – let’s not destroy it!”
The statement came shortly after Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s top negotiator and speaker of parliament, said the Israeli attack had once again called into question the credibility of the United States.
As indirect talks over Iran’s nuclear program continued, the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran twice, sparking the 12-day war in 2025 and the current war on February 28.
Ghalibaf said in a post on
“If you do not have the will and ability to fulfill your commitments, it is impossible to continue on that path,” he added.
Shortly after, Ebrahim Azizi, head of Iran’s parliament’s National Security Committee, threatened a “strong response.”
“Today’s crimes by the Zionist regime in Dahieh, Beirut prove once again that the United States is unreliable and weak, as it does not even have the capacity to control this illegitimate regime,” Azizi said.
Israeli attack
At least three people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s Dahieh district, authorities said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military launched the attack in response to Hezbollah firing a projectile into northern Israel.
Trump questioned that justification in a post on Truth Social.
“Israel has the right to defend itself against threats, but the attacks it was responding to were very small and senseless, no one was injured, injured or killed, and this important process should not be disrupted,” he said.
President Trump said on Saturday that the deal with Iran was expected to be signed on Sunday, and Pakistan, the top mediator, indicated that the signing would be done digitally.
In an interview with Axios on Sunday, President Trump claimed that the signing was still on track but would be delayed by “several hours” due to the Israeli attack.
Trump also expressed further frustration with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who critics have accused of repeatedly trying to derail diplomacy.
“This is so terrible. I can’t believe it. This is an hour before the deal was signed,” Trump said.
“I was very angry. I let him know. He has no (expletive) judgment. I told him that,” Trump said.
Both parties hint at deal completion
But Iranian officials have offered a slightly different timeline, with Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai saying on Saturday that signing could take several days.
Still, both sides have widely indicated they are closer than ever to signing a memorandum of understanding to end fighting on all fronts, including Lebanon.
Although formal terms of this initial agreement have not been announced, both sides have indicated that the Strait of Hormuz will be opened, the U.S. naval blockade will be lifted and fighting will cease immediately.
Issues surrounding deep-rooted issues such as the future of Iran’s nuclear program, freezing Iranian assets and lifting sanctions were expected to be resolved within 60 days of the initial signing.
Sami Nader, director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Studies, said in an interview with Al Jazeera that Sunday’s attack on Israel was a “strategic test” for both sides.
He explained that Israel has repeatedly called for Lebanon to be cut out of any deal with Iran.
“Given the upcoming Israeli elections, there are also domestic intentions. Prime Minister Netanyahu has been criticized for not doing enough against Hezbollah, for being very respectful and tolerant of Trump,” Nader said in a television interview.
U.S. officials have publicly stated that the U.S. and Israeli war goals are different.
Mr. Obama also gives his opinion.
Fighting between the United States and Iran has largely ceased since April 8, save for a few flare-ups, but efforts toward a more permanent ceasefire remain elusive.
President Trump has repeatedly promised to reach a deal tougher than the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed in 2015.
Under the deal, reached with Iran, the United States, Britain, Russia, Germany, France, China and the European Union, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program and allow unprecedented inspections in exchange for sanctions relief.
Critics say the deal’s timeline wasn’t strict enough since President Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018. Iran has long denied developing nuclear weapons.
In an interview on ABC News’ “This Week” published Sunday, former U.S. President Barack Obama said it was unlikely a better deal would be negotiated regarding Iran’s nuclear program than the one his administration negotiated.
“It is doubtful that any future agreement will be significantly different or significantly better than the original agreement,” he said.
President Obama added that the United States “cannot simply bully and drop bombs toward a solution.”
“You would think we would have learned that lesson by now,” he said.
