Shock in Israel: Trump Turns Against Israel

Just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump hailed a Qatar-mediated ceasefire as a “historic” step toward peace, he expressed sharp frustration on Tuesday, accusing Israel and Iran of breaching a ceasefire he brokered to end their 12-day conflict, which took effect at 7 a.m. IDT.

Speaking to reporters while traveling to a NATO summit in the Netherlands, Trump declared that he was working to “stop” the escalating violence, particularly criticizing Israel for launching strikes shortly after the agreement. In a fiery post on Truth Social, he urged, “ISRAEL: DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS… BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME NOW,” warning that further attacks would constitute a “MAJOR VIOLATION” of the ceasefire. Trump also claimed Iran’s nuclear capabilities had been “destroyed” and would never be rebuilt, a statement that added urgency to his call for de-escalation.

Here's what he said:

"I'm not happy that Israel's going out now. There was one rocket that I guess was fired overboard. It was after the time limit and it missed its target and now Israel's going out. These guys gotta calm down. Ridiculous. I didn't like plenty of things I saw yesterday. I didn't like the fact that Israel unloaded right after we made the deal. They didn't have to unload. And I didn't like the fact that the retaliation was very strong, but in all fairness, Israel unloaded a lot, and now I hear Israel just went out because they felt it was violated by one rocket that didn't land anywhere. That's not what we want. I'll tell you, and I'm telling you, I'm not happy about that, Israel, either ... All I do is play both sides."

He also said, "I’m not sure the Iranians intentionally launched the missile at Israel this morning."

The ceasefire, mediated by Qatar and celebrated by Trump as a step toward “PEACE” for both nations, unraveled within hours when Israel accused Iran of launching two missiles into northern Israel at 10:30 a.m., a charge Iran’s state media swiftly denied. Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered “intense strikes” on Tehran in retaliation, citing a devastating Iranian missile attack in Beersheba that killed five, wounded over 20, and collapsed an entire floor of a residential building with 300-500 kg of explosives. Israeli journalist Amit Segal reported that the Trump administration had initially conveyed support for Israel’s right to respond to Iran’s aggression, leaving officials confused by the president’s abrupt demand to recall pilots en route to strike Iran.

The rapid deterioration of the truce has placed Israel’s leadership in a significant dilemma, as noted by journalist Doron Kadosh, who described Trump’s statement as “dramatic.” A government source, quoted by Ishay Cohen, criticized Israel’s hesitation, stating, “Those who want to respond to a ceasefire violation act immediately, not threaten while waiting for the president to wake up.” Social media platform X buzzed with reactions, some mocking the situation by comparing Trump’s stance to domestic Israeli critics of military actions, while others debated the strategic implications. For instance, journalist Yaron Avraham quipped that Trump’s call to halt pilots echoed far-right Israeli figures like Shlomo Karai and Tali Gottlieb, sarcastically noting the president might soon oppose the “Kaplanists,” a term for anti-government protesters.

This sudden shift, coupled with Trump’s claim that Iran’s nuclear program is “destroyed,” places Israel in an impossible position: absorbing Iranian attacks on its soil—two missiles hit the north at 10:30 a.m., per Israeli reports—while facing pressure to stand down, transforming Trump from a “BFF” into a complicating factor in Israel’s defense strategy.

With Israeli officials scrambling to interpret Trump’s mixed signals and Iran denying further provocations, the region teeters on the edge of renewed escalation, testing the resolve of international diplomacy to restore stability.