Trump faults Israel’s Beirut strike, urges stand-down as Iran threatens deal

(Barak Ravid – Axios) A drone strike on northern Israel set off a chain reaction Sunday: Israel hit Hezbollah targets in Beirut in retaliation, and Iran is now threatening to strike back. The escalation lands hours before the the U.S. and Iran are supposed to sign a deal to end their war, and now Iranian officials have signaled Israel’s attack could scuttle the agreement. A similar strike last week led to Iran launching missiles at Israel and a day of escalation between the two countries. President Trump criticized Israel’s strike in a post on Truth Social, saying it “should not have happened” with a peace deal so close. He dismissed the drone attack Israel was relatiating to as “very small and meaningless” and urged “all sides” to stand down — an apparent appeal to Iran’s threat to retaliate: “This could be the beginning of a long and beautiful peace — Let’s not blow it!”. On Sunday morning, Hezbollah launched several drones at northern Israel. – Trump faults Israel’s Beirut strike, urges stand-down as Iran threatens deal