President Donald Trump declared Tuesday that Israel would not proceed with planned attacks against Iran, ordering all aircraft to return home after the ceasefire failed to take effect.
The US leader announced on Truth Social that "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." The presidential directive came amid escalating tensions after Iran fired two ballistic missiles toward northern Israel following the implementation of a ceasefire agreement.
Trump's intervention followed hours of mounting uncertainty regarding the implementation of the ceasefire, after Israel's Defense Minister, Israel Katz, ordered the Israel Defense Forces to conduct "intensive strikes against regime targets" in response to Iran's missile launches. The president subsequently issued an urgent warning to Israeli leadership, stating on Truth Social, "Do not drop those bombs. If you do it is a major violation. Bring your pilots home, now!"
Speaking about the Iranian missile barrage that struck Israeli territory early Tuesday morning, Trump told reporters, "Now Israel is going out [to strike Iran] because of one rocket that didn't land anywhere." The president addressed the situation while preparing to depart for the NATO summit in The Hague.
Trump expressed significant frustration with Israeli actions, declaring, "As soon as we made the deal, they came out and they dropped a load of bombs, the likes of which I've never seen before. The biggest load that we've seen. I'm not happy with Israel," Sky News reported.
Video: US President Donald Trump's statement to reporters before his departure for the NATO summit. Credit: C-span
The president's criticism of Israel continued as he elaborated on his dissatisfaction with both countries' conduct. "You know, when I say, 'OK, now you have 12 hours,' you don't go out to the first hour, just drop everything you have on, so I'm not happy with them. I'm not happy with Iran either," Trump stated, according to CNN.
When questioned about ceasefire violations by both nations, Trump suggested the breaches might not have been deliberate. "I'm not sure they did it intentionally. They couldn't rein people back," the president explained to reporters.
The president delivered a striking remark about the prolonged Middle Eastern conflict, characterizing both nations' conduct: "You know what, 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. You understand that?" Reuters reported.
When questioned about Iran's ability to recover from recent US military strikes against its nuclear facilities, Trump asserted that the Islamic Republic would "never" be capable of rebuilding its nuclear capabilities, according to CNN. "Iran will never rebuild itself," the president declared.
Trump commended American military personnel who conducted the operations, particularly highlighting the performance of strategic bomber crews by stating, "The B-2 pilots did their job, they did it better than anybody could even imagine." The president also rejected media reports from multiple news organizations that characterized the strikes as having minimal impact on Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
