In a dramatic turn of events on Tuesday, a sudden outburst from President Donald Trump reportedly led Israel to downscale a planned retaliatory strike on Tehran, sending ripples of surprise across the Middle East.
The initial plan, as reported by the Times of Israel, was to launch a punitive strike against Tehran in response to its alleged violation of a ceasefire declared by Trump on Monday. However, the operation was scaled back, resulting in Israeli jets targeting an Iranian radar installation near Tehran instead of a full-scale attack.
The backdrop to this development was Trump's announcement on Monday of a ceasefire, marking the first step towards de-escalating the conflict between Israel and Iran that had been raging since June 13. In line with Trump's commitment to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, the United States had bombed Iran's nuclear facilities on Saturday.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel accused Iran of firing missiles post the agreement. According to Axios, the missiles were launched at 7:06 a.m. and 10:25 a.m. local time. The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the missiles were either "intercepted or landed in open areas without causing injuries or damage."
Israel's Defense Minister, Israel Katz, expressed his disapproval on social media, stating that Iran had "severely violated the ceasefire," and warned of a severe Israeli response.
According to Axios, Trump, en route to a NATO summit, was incensed at the prospect of the fragile peace being shattered by a devastating retaliation. "When I say 12 hours [of ceasefire], you don't go out in the first hour and drop everything you have on them," Trump was quoted as saying. He expressed his dissatisfaction with Israel's early morning response to a single rocket fired by Iran, possibly by mistake.
Trump's frustration was evident as he remarked on the long-standing conflict between the two nations. "We have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the f*** they are doing," he said.
Following a phone conversation between Netanyahu and Trump, the Israeli leader agreed to scale back the strike significantly. "In the end, it was decided to significantly scale back the strike, cancel the attack on a large number of targets and strike only one radar system outside of Tehran," an Israeli official disclosed.
According to a White House source cited by Axios, Trump spoke to Netanyahu in "an exceptionally firm and direct way." The source added, "The president told Netanyahu what needed to happen to sustain the ceasefire. The prime minister understood the severity of the situation and the concerns President Trump expressed."
Netanyahu's office confirmed that during the call, "President Trump expressed his immense appreciation for Israel which achieved all of its war goals. The president also expressed his confidence in the stability of the ceasefire," as reported by the Times of Israel.
Following the conversation with Trump, Israel refrained from further attacks, Netanyahu's office confirmed. Trump also took to Truth Social to share the news, stating, "ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly 'Plane Wave' to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect! Thank you for your attention to this matter! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES."
This unexpected development underscores the influence of Trump's conservative approach to foreign policy, which prioritizes peace and stability over conflict. It also highlights the importance of strong leadership and clear communication in navigating complex geopolitical situations.
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