On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump delivered a forceful denunciation of Israel’s conduct in response to news that both Israel and Iran had breached a truce mediated by the US. In a series of posts on Truth Social, Trump addressed Israel directly, warning, “Do not drop those bombs”.
It is a serious offense to do so. “Bring your pilots home now!” This was Trump’s first major public condemnation of Israel since the start of the war with Iran two weeks ago, indicating unusual public dissatisfaction with the longtime US ally.
The cease-fire, proclaimed by Trump and mediated by Qatar, was intended to terminate a 12-day war that began when Israel launched pre-emptive strikes on Iranian nuclear and military targets, claiming worries about Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
In reaction, Iran launched missiles at a US facility in Qatar, which were mostly intercepted, and then agreed to a staged ceasefire: Iran would stop attacking first, followed by Israel 12 hours later, with the conflict formally ending after 24 hours if both parties cooperated.
Despite the arrangement, the truce unraveled almost immediately. Both Israel and Iran accused the other of breaking the agreement. Explosions and missile sirens were recorded in northern Israel, with Israeli officials claiming that two Iranian missiles were intercepted after the cease-fire period began. Iran, however, denied launching more missiles, with its foreign minister claiming that Iran would only shoot if provoked and that a final decision on terminating military operations was pending.
Speaking to reporters before leaving for a NATO conference, Trump indicated apparent dissatisfaction: “They violated it, but Israel also violated it.” “I’m not happy with Israel,” he stated, stressing that Israel had “unloaded” shortly after the truce was agreed upon.
He stressed the need for patience, stating, “Israel must cool down. I need to get Israel to calm down. There was one rocket that I believe was shot overboard and missed its objective. Now Israel is leaving. Ridiculous. I didn’t like the fact that Israel unloaded immediately after we struck the arrangement… “That is not what we want…”
Meanwhile, the regional situation remained heated, with drone assaults on US military bases in Iraq, but no group claimed credit. Iran-backed militias had previously threatened to retaliate if the US struck Iran.
President Trump’s strong condemnation of Israel’s conduct, combined with his criticism of Iran, reveals significant irritation with both countries’ inability to keep the ceasefire. His words reflect a watershed moment in diplomatic history, demonstrating the difficulties of maintaining peace amongst rivals in a volatile region, as well as the limits of US power, even among its closest allies.
