Trump: Israeli Attack on Beirut Should Not Have Happened

U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh in southern Beirut, stating that such an action should not disrupt the process of reaching a peace agreement with the Islamic Republic.

In a message on the social media platform Truth Social on Sunday, June 14, Trump wrote that the morning’s attack on Beirut “should not have happened,” particularly at a time when, according to him, the parties have come very close to achieving a peace deal with Iran.

While emphasizing Israel’s right to defend itself, the U.S. President added that the attack to which Israel had reacted by launching its operation was “very limited and insignificant” and had left no one dead or injured. He emphasized that such an incident should not disrupt the ongoing negotiation process. Trump further wrote: “We are very close to a deal that could bring peace back to the region, including Lebanon, and all sides must refrain from further escalation.”

He also called for a cessation of military strikes in Lebanon, stating that not only should Israel refrain from launching any further attacks on Lebanese soil, but no other party, including Hezbollah, should launch attacks against Israel either.

Referring to the prospect of a potential agreement between Washington and Tehran, the U.S. President added that this deal could initiate a “long and beautiful peace” in the region, and that this opportunity must not be lost.

Trump’s remarks were made hours after the Israeli airstrike on the Ghobeiry neighborhood in Beirut’s southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh. The Israeli military had announced that the strike was carried out in response to projectiles fired by Hezbollah into northern Israel. Lebanese media have reported that a five-story building was targeted in this attack, leaving at least three people dead.

The attack on Beirut’s Dahiyeh took place while negotiations between the Islamic Republic and the United States to end recent conflicts and reach a peace agreement are underway. Earlier, officials of the Islamic Republic, including Tehran’s chief negotiator Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, deemed the Israeli strike on Dahiyeh a sign of the United States’ inability or lack of will to implement its commitments, declaring that continuing the path toward an agreement under such conditions “is not possible.”

Meanwhile, the Israeli military has also announced that following the strike on Dahiyeh, it has prepared for the possibility of an Iranian missile response in the coming hours and remains at the highest level of alert.