WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Israel was going to “turn around” its jets and stop attacking Iran and their ceasefire was “in effect” on Tuesday after briefly faltering.
“ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly ‘Plane Wave’ to Iran,” Trump, as he pressed both sides to abide by the ceasefire, posted on social media. “Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect!”
Earlier, in comments to reporters at the White House before departing for the NATO summit at The Hague, Trump had expressed disappointment over attacks that had continued beyond an early Tuesday deadline to stop hostilities.
“They violated it, but Israel violated it, too,” Trump said. He added, ”I’m not happy with Israel.”
“I didn’t like the fact that Israel unloaded right after we made the deal,” Trump said. “And now I hear Israel just went out because they felt violated by one rocket that didn’t land anywhere.”
The Republican president expressed deep disappointment with both sides after holding out the agreement he helped broker as validation for his strategic gamble of ordering U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that Iran would stop its attacks if Israel would. And Israel also confirmed that it had reached its aims of its operations and would cease hostilities.
But the tentative truce faltered Tuesday when Israel accused Iran of launching missiles into its airspace after the ceasefire was supposed to take effect and vowed to retaliate.
Iran’s military denied firing on Israel, state media reported, but explosions boomed and sirens sounded across northern Israel midmorning, and an Israeli military official said two Iranian missiles were intercepted.
Trump’s frustration was palpable as he spoke to reporters, using an expletive to hammer home his point.
“I’m not happy with them. I’m not happy with Iran, either, but I’m really unhappy with Israel going out this morning,” Trump said. “We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f—- they’re doing.”
The president then took to his Truth Social platform to warn Israel to end its attacks.
“ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION,” Trump posted. “BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!”