US President Donald Trump has called for restraint from all sides after an Israeli air strike on Beirut threatened to complicate efforts to secure a US-Iran peace deal that he said was close to completion.
Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!
Writing on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump criticised the timing of the strike, saying: “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.”
The comments came after Israel launched strikes on what it said were Hezbollah targets in the Lebanese capital. Smoke was seen rising over Beirut, while Lebanon’s Civil Defense said three people were killed and six others wounded after a residential building was hit.
While Trump reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself, he argued that the incident prompting the strike was minor. “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,” he wrote.
Trump also called for an immediate halt to hostilities across the Lebanon-Israel border. “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,” he said.
He concluded with a warning that the opportunity for peace should not be squandered. “This could be the beginning of a long and beautiful peace — Let’s not blow it!”
The strike has raised concerns that months of mediation involving the United States, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar could be derailed just as negotiators appear close to an agreement. Trump had previously suggested a deal could be signed as early as Sunday, though officials have indicated final details are still being worked out.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the operation was carried out in response to Hezbollah rocket fire into northern Israel. Three people were killed and 6 injured in the strike.
Iran reacted angrily to the strike, with senior officials warning that it would not go unanswered.
Iranian parliamentary speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf suggested the strike had undermined confidence in Washington’s role in the peace process. In a post on X, he wrote: “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. If you lack the will and ability to fulfill your commitments, speaking of continuing the path is not possible.”
