US President Donald Trump has warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he could find himself isolated if Israel returns to war with Iran. The warning came on Monday amid the most serious escalation between the two countries since a ceasefire took effect in April.
Trump, reportedly growing increasingly exasperated with Netanyahu, demanded both sides stop 'shooting' in a post on his Truth Social platform and said 'final negotiations' towards peace would proceed 'subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way'. In an interview with Axios, Trump said he told Netanyahu: 'Bibi, you better be careful, or you will be on your own very soon.'
The flare-up began on Sunday with Israel's deadly bombardment of Beirut. Iran, which has long linked any peace deal with the US to an end to fighting in Lebanon, responded with a wave of missiles at northern Israel. Trump allegedly called Netanyahu on Sunday evening and asked him not to retaliate, but Israel launched attacks on Iran early Monday.
Israeli forces struck Iranian air defense systems and a petrochemical plant, while Iran retaliated by hitting a similar facility in Haifa and targeting two Israeli airbases. Many missiles were intercepted over the occupied West Bank. No deaths were reported on either side.
Netanyahu said in a televised statement that he had told Trump 'Israel has a full right to self-defense, and we are exercising it as required'. He also warned that if Iran 'makes the mistake of resuming attacks against us, we will respond with full force'.
Israel's ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, downplayed reports of tension, telling Fox News that 'sometimes, lovers have a spat'. He said that while Netanyahu had 'decided' to 'lower the temperature' at Trump's request, the US president understands 'full well' that Israel cannot 'absorb ballistic missiles into our country without responding'.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei blamed Washington for the escalation, stating: 'The US is directly responsible. They are party to the ceasefire negotiations. Therefore, any act in violation of the ceasefire... will cause the United States to be directly responsible for the escalation in the region.'
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on all parties to respect the ceasefires and warned that 'the only way forward is through dialogue and negotiations'. Yemen's Houthi rebels also fired missiles at Israel and declared a complete ban on Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea. In Lebanon, Israeli strikes killed five in Tyre, seven in Nabatieh, and two in Marwanieh.
Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies said Trump's words 'could be significant if they were matched by actions'. 'As long as they're sending billions of dollars directly to the Israeli military, and as long as they're protecting Israel from being held accountable in the International Court of Justice or the International Criminal Court, the words just don't mean very much,' she added.
Source: www.aljazeera.com