Vance warns Israel: Don't fight "only ally" Trump on Iran deal
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Vice President Vance on Thursday issued a blunt warning to members of the Israeli government who have been attacking the deal with Iran: President Trump is the only friend you have left, and it would be unwise to cross him.
Why it matters: Vance gave public voice to the consternation many on Trump's team have felt with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government over the past three months. He also issued a veiled threat that if Israel undermines the deal, U.S. military support could be impacted.
What he's saying: Asked about an Axios report that Netanyahu and his political allies were "fuming" over the deal, Vance said he'd read the story but hadn't experienced any fuming from Netanyahu — though he had been "bothered" by members of the Israeli cabinet attacking Trump over the deal.
- "Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time, and he happens to be the head of state of the world's superpower. If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world," Vance said.
- Vance added that Israel should consider that "two-thirds of the defensive weapons that have protected your homeland have been built by American hands and paid for by American tax dollars."
- "The problem for Israel is not Donald J. Trump, and anybody in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the President of the U.S. needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation that country is in," Vance said.
The other side: Netanyahu has kept his frustrations with the deal private, but has been venting in private conversations, sources say.
- Some senior members of Netanyahu's cabinet — including ultranationalist ministers Betzalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, but also ministers from Netanyahu's Likud party — have attacked Trump over the deal. Pro-Netanyahu voices in the Israeli media have made personal attacks against Vance as well as Trump's envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.
- On Thursday, Netanyahu said the current situation requires the Israeli government to "remain calm, stand firmly on our security interests and at the same time preserve the important relationship with our American friends, who fought shoulder to shoulder alongside us, and for that we are deeply grateful."
- At the same time Netanyahu said Israel will not withdraw from the territories it has occupied in southern Lebanon "as long as Israel's security needs demand it."
Friction point: The U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding says the ceasefire includes the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, and Israel would have to withdraw from Lebanon under any final deal.
- Vance said in a press conference on Thursday that the U.S. expects Hezbollah not to launch attacks against Israel, but also expects the Israelis "not to be going wild" in Lebanon.
- "The Israelis have to respect this peace process...the president's expectation is that all of our friends, the Israelis, the Arabs in the region are gonna work together and actually see this deal to completion," he said.
- A day earlier, Trump reiterated his criticism of Israel for knocking down "an apartment house every time you're looking for someone" in Lebanon.
The latest: After Vance's press conference, Trump posted on Truth Social encouraging "everyone in the Middle East Region" to allow the deal to unfold successfully. "We expect a complete Ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel," he added.
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