President Donald Trump delivered a sharp rebuke Tuesday evening against both Israel and Iran, just hours after announcing the terms of a ceasefire between the two adversaries.
Speaking from the White House before departing for the NATO Summit in The Hague, Trump voiced rare public frustration toward a longtime U.S. ally, marking a notable shift in tone.
“We’ve got two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard, they don’t even know what the hell they’re doing,” Trump told reporters, according to The Hill.
The president also took to Truth Social to issue a direct warning to Israel: “ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!” he posted.
Trump expressed frustration at Israel’s timing, accusing the country of launching a heavy bombing campaign immediately after the ceasefire deal was announced. “As soon as we made the deal, they went out and dropped a load of bombs the likes of which I’ve never seen before. The biggest load we’ve seen,” he said, as reported by The Hill.
He added: “I’m not happy with Israel. When I say you have 12 hours, it doesn’t mean go out in hour one and drop everything you’ve got on them. Iran violated it, but Israel did too,” Trump continued. “I’m really unhappy if Israel is still going at it this morning.”
Later, in another Truth Social post, Trump attempted to de-escalate tensions: “ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and do a friendly ‘Plane Wave’ to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect!”
Trump argued that this mechanism would help prevent further escalation while also ensuring Iran cannot rebuild its nuclear facilities.
Despite these declarations, hostilities continued. Israel reported additional attacks and pledged to “continue the intensive operation to strike Tehran,” according to Defense Minister Israel Katz, as quoted by The Hill.
Just before the ceasefire was set to begin, an Iranian missile struck a residential building in Beer Sheva, killing at least four people.
On Monday night, Trump outlined the ceasefire plan: Iran would halt hostilities first, followed by Israel, all within a 24-hour window. Referring to the conflict as the “12-Day War,” Trump declared on Truth Social that a long-term resolution was now possible. He went even further in an interview with NBC News, claiming he believed the ceasefire “would last forever,” The Hill reported.
