Trump Criticizes Israel and Iran Over Ceasefire Violations
President Donald Trump expressed strong disapproval of both Israel and Iran for breaching a fragile ceasefire he had brokered on Monday.
The ceasefire was announced by Trump on Monday afternoon, but it didn’t take long for both parties to accuse each other of violating the terms, which added to Trump’s frustration.
“Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out and they dropped a load of bombs, the likes of which I’ve never seen before, the biggest load that we’ve seen. I’m not happy with Israel,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday morning.
“You know, when I say, okay, now you have 12 hours, you don’t go out in the first hour and just drop everything you have on them. So I’m not happy with them. I’m not happy with Iran either. But I’m really unhappy if Israel is going out this morning because of one rocket that didn’t land, that was shot, perhaps by mistake, that didn’t land,” he continued.
Reports indicate that Israel launched over 100 munitions at Iranian military targets before the ceasefire officially started, according to The Times of Israel.
“I didn’t like plenty of things I saw yesterday,” Trump stated. “I didn’t like the fact that Israel unloaded right after we made the deal. They didn’t have to unload… The [Iranian] retaliation was very strong. But in all fairness, Israel unloaded a lot.”
“We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f*ck they’re doing,” Trump added.
Trump also took to Truth Social to caution Israel against violating the ceasefire, stating: “ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.”
Additionally, Trump reportedly had a serious conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the phone.
“The president told Netanyahu what needed to happen to sustain the ceasefire. The prime minister understood the severity of the situation and the concerns President Trump expressed,” a source in Washington informed Axios.
On Tuesday, Trump also made clear that he opposes U.S. intervention for regime change in Iran, explaining that it could lead to chaos.
The conflict between Israel and Iran escalated on June 13 when Israel initiated airstrikes on Iranian uranium enrichment facilities, targeting military leaders and nuclear scientists.
The United States joined the conflict on Sunday, attacking three Iranian nuclear sites in an effort to dismantle their nuclear program.
Iran retaliated by targeting U.S. bases in Qatar and Iraq, providing advanced warning to facilitate de-escalation.
According to Israel’s emergency services, 28 fatalities have occurred due to the ongoing war, while a Washington-based organization reports at least 974 deaths in Iran.
