'Israel's strike in Beirut shouldn't have happened, we are close to an Iran deal,' Trump says
White House scrambles to salvage virtual deal signing after Israeli strikes, Trump says '2-3 hours' but time elapses
Israel’s Security Cabinet convened in emergency session Sunday evening against a backdrop of imminent security threats and a widening diplomatic rift between Jerusalem and Washington. The high-level meeting followed intensive preparations for potential direct fire from Iran, even as international mediators scrambled to finalize a sweeping regional peace agreement.
Inside the cabinet, severe friction erupted over recent public statements made by US President Trump. Israeli ministers sharply criticized the American administration, arguing that Washington’s rhetoric effectively "normalizes fire toward a sovereign state" and has crippled Israel's regional deterrence.
The immediate catalyst for the diplomatic row was an interview President Trump gave to Fox News, during which he heavily criticized the Israeli leadership following a recent military operation in Lebanon.
"Bibi has no f***ing judgment. I told him I am not happy," Trump stated during the broadcast, recounting a direct conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "I spoke with Netanyahu and told him, 'What the hell are you doing?'"
The US President asserted that Israel’s latest strike in Beirut should not have occurred, particularly at a moment when negotiators are on the precipice of a historic framework agreement with Iran. Trump argued that while Israel retains the right to self-defense, the initial rocket fire from Hezbollah was "small and insignificant" and resulted in no casualties.
"Perhaps this is the beginning of a long and beautiful peace – don't ruin it," Trump warned.
The remarks sparked immediate outrage across the Israeli political spectrum. Government ministers countered that the U.S. administration's attempt to decouple the Iranian nuclear track from the Lebanese front has entirely failed. Cabinet members demanded an immediate hardening of Israel's defense posture, insisting that the direct operational link between Tehran and its regional proxies must be confronted head-on.
"The era of restraint is over," cabinet officials stated, pushing for a policy wherein any future projectile fire directed at Israeli territory is met with an immediate, overwhelming military response.
Trump also told Fox News the two-phase memorandum of understanding with Iran was scheduled to be finalized via a virtual, "Zoom-style" ceremony 'within two to three hours,' declaring the diplomatic breakthrough imminent. However, that confident timeline has elapsed.
White House officials acknowledged the delay, pointing to the morning’s highly disruptive Israeli airstrikes in Beirut as the primary spoiler that froze the process just as mediators from Qatar and Pakistan were attempting to lock in the agreement.