Trump says Israeli Beirut strike angered him and delayed Iran deal

President Donald Trump told Channel 12 that he warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he was “very unhappy” with Israel’s strike in Beirut on the day the U.S. and Iran were expected to sign an agreement. Trump said Hezbollah had fired and hit “in the middle of nowhere,” that “nobody was hurt,” and asked, “Why did Bibi do this attack, and in Beirut?” He added that he was told about the strike about an hour before the planned signing and said, “I didn’t believe it was happening. It’s very bad.”

Trump said he also told Netanyahu that he has “no judgment” and repeated that he was “very unhappy.” He argued the deal with Iran is good for Israel because it would prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons, allow inspections of suspicious sites in Iran on 24 hours’ notice, and eliminate Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile.

He said the signing, originally expected Thursday morning, was delayed by the Beirut strike but still might take place later the same day. “We were supposed to sign the deal this morning and the Israeli strike in Beirut delayed it. I think the signing will still happen today in a few hours. But the Israeli strike shook things up,” Trump said.

Separately, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told CBS that Washington believes the recent Israeli strikes on Beirut will not derail the U.S.-Iran agreement. He said, “As far as I know, we are moving in the right direction. The question is not whether it will happen, but when.” The comments came after Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, questioned U.S. commitment to peace efforts following an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs, lowering the chances of a framework deal being signed on Thursday. Iranian officials also threatened retaliation, with senior commander Mohammad Jafar Asadi saying the “Israeli crimes” would not go unanswered, and parliament security chief Ebrahim Azizi accusing the U.S. of being weak and unreliable.