Vance cautions Israeli critics: Don’t attack ‘the only powerful ally’ you have left anywhere in the world
Vice President JD Vance on Thursday warned Israeli political leaders critical of the Trump administration memorandum of understanding with Iran not to attack “the only powerful ally” they have “anywhere left in the entire world.”
It is the latest rebuke of a close ally with which the Trump administration has apparently grown increasingly frustrated as it works to wind down the monthslong war that the U.S. and Israel have waged together against Iran. Cabinet-level officials in Israel have been critical of the deal, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while more measured in his response, has insisted that his nation’s operations targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon will continue.
“Anybody in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the president of the United States needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation that that country is in,” Vance told reporters Thursday.
Though Netanyahu has remained defiant in the face of international criticism, Israel’s reputation on the global stage has suffered significantly in recent years, first over outcry against its military campaign in Gaza that followed the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas militants and more recently over its role in the war against Iran. In the U.S., criticism of Israel has broken largely along party lines, though some Republicans have voiced growing skepticism of the Israeli government and American support for it.
A spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy in Washington did not immediately return a request for comment on the vice president’s remarks.
Vance, speaking to reporters at the White House on Thursday before traveling to Switzerland for an official signing ceremony with Iranian officials, invoked an Axios report claiming that Netanyahu was incensed over the deal. The vice president said the Axios reporting wasn’t in line with conversations he’s had with the Israeli prime minister, though he conceded that “maybe he’s saying something to somebody else that he’s not saying to me.”
President Donald Trump, in a Truth Social post Thursday afternoon, encouraged Middle East states to remain committed to allowing negotiations to continue, adding that “we expect a complete Ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel.” [Continue reading…]