\u201cThey were all set the night before the attack. Then [Israel told] me they didn\u2019t want to do it,\u201d Trump added, claiming that he decided to go ahead with the operation alone.<\/p>\n
\t He later hit out at critics who he said were calling on him to continue bombing Iran, rather than sign an agreement to end the war.<\/p>\n \u201cFor all of those so-called geniuses who want to show me how smart they are, ask them why didn\u2019t they blow up General Solemeini,\u201d Trump said, almost certainly referring to Israel.<\/p>\n Trump then repeated his criticism of Netanyahu over Israeli strikes on Hezbollah.<\/p>\n \u201cBibi Netanyahu happens to be a good man, but he gets a little excited sometimes,\u201d Trump said, while still calling him an \u201camazing prime minister.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a little dispute over Lebanon. I say, \u2018You can do a little softer touch, Bibi. You don\u2019t have to knock down a building every time somebody walks into it that\u2019s from Hezbollah,\u2019\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it\u2019s been an amazing partnership. [Netanyahu] will say [the US is] the big partner, and [Israel\u2019s] the very small partner, and that\u2019s true,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Israel has fumed at the MOU for several reasons, including its explicit extension of the US-Iran ceasefire to Lebanon \u2014 something that Jerusalem says it is not beholden to. The final version of the MOU also recognizes the need to ensure \u201cthe territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon.\u201d<\/p>\n \t Asked on a phone briefing with reporters whether this means that Israel will have to withdraw from the buffer zone it has created in southern Lebanon, a senior US official declined to give a direct answer, instead reiterating that the US expects Iran to restrain Hezbollah or the terror group will faced continued Israeli attacks.<\/p>\n US Vice President JD Vance did reportedly ask Netanyahu in recent days to gradually withdraw from Lebanon, but the Israeli premier is said to have refused, while assuring him the Israel Defense Forces would act in a more calculated manner.<\/p>\n For his part, Trump at the press conference reiterated his desire for the nascent Syrian government to fight Hezbollah instead of Israel \u2014 a wildly unpopular idea in Damascus, Beirut and Jerusalem.<\/p>\n The US president appeared to subsequently acknowledge having heard some pushback to the idea. \u201cI don\u2019t know that people want that \u2014 maybe they don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n As for Netanyahu, Trump argued that he should be thrilled with the MOU because it means \u201cthey\u2019re not going to be nuked.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI told Bibi, \u2018The biggest risk was that they drop a nuclear weapon into the middle of Israel,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n \t \u201c\u2018Think of it, Bibi. The most important thing that you were asking for is that,\u2019\u201d Trump continued. \u201cSo, I think they\u2019re [Israel] happy.\u201d<\/p>\n Israel is said to overwhelmingly oppose the deal, as it only includes an Iranian pledge not to obtain a nuclear weapon. Beyond that, all Iran has agreed to do is merely discuss making further concessions in follow-up negotiations over the next two months, during which they are slated to receive considerable sanctions relief.<\/p>\n \u2018Look at the job we\u2019ve done\u2019<\/p>\n In addition to the Soleimani side-bar during the press conference, Trump also segued to tout the work his administration has done in the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n The US brokered a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Hamas and Israel last year, but that agreement has stalled, as the terror group has refused to implement the second phase requirement that it give up its weapons, while Israel has violated terms of the first phase pertaining to humanitarian aid, troop withdrawals and a halt on strikes in the Strip.<\/p>\n But Trump appeared impressed by what he has seen nonetheless.<\/p>\n \u201cLook at the job we\u2019ve done in Gaza. Hamas has been very silent. You haven\u2019t read anything about Hamas,\u201d he said, as Israel warns the terrorist organization is reconstituting its power in the Strip.<\/p>\n \t \u201cWhen they were born, they came out with a machine gun in their hand, so it\u2019s not the easiest thing, but they\u2019ve actually behaved pretty well, considering this was not the lifestyle that they were taught,\u201d Trump added.<\/p>\n Another apparently off-the-cuff remark pertained to the UAE, which Trump said participated in the bombing against Iran. Abu Dhabi has not publicly confirmed that to date.<\/p>\n Trump praised UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, calling him an \u201cincredible warrior.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe was dropping bombs last week. I said, \u2018Who the hell\u2019s dropping all those bombs?\u2019 It was UAE,\u201d Trump proclaimed.<\/p>\n Despite Israel\u2019s strained relationships with many of its neighbors due to disagreements over its policies in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon, and Iran, Trump again expressed his hope that countries in the region will join the Abraham Accords.<\/p>\n Last month, Trump threatened not to sign an agreement with Iran if countries did not join the Abraham Accords, though he appeared to have come down from that demand.<\/p>\n Trump reportedly told Netanyahu in a phone call earlier this month that \u201ceveryone hates Israel\u201d for the way it is going after Hezbollah in Lebanon.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n \t\t\t
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\n\t\tA demonstrator holds up a poster of the late IRGC Quds Force Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone attack in 2020 in Iraq, during an anti-Israeli gathering in front of the British Embassy in Tehran, Iran, early April 14, 2024. The demonstration was held as Iran launched its first direct military attack against Israel. (AP Photo\/Vahid Salemi)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AFP__20260617__B7E87ZF__v1__HighRes__IsraelLebanonIranUsWar-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tThis picture taken from a position in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel, near the Israel-Lebanon border shows Israeli Merkava tanks driving along a road past destroyed buildings in southern Lebanon on June 17, 2026. (Photo by JACK GUEZ \/ AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26168620278944-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tUS President Donald Trump, center, speaks as United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio stands right, during a press conference at the end of the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, June 17, 2026. (AP Photo\/Vadim Ghirda)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26079245478396-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tFILE \u2013 Palestinian gunmen from Hamas and Islamic Jihad gather next to Eid al-Fitr prayers in Gaza City, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo\/Abdel Kareem Hana, File)<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tWe can’t do this work alone.\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_5258-200x200.jpeg\" "\\"\\"\/")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tYes, I’ll join\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n