MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Trump says he will urge Netanyahu not to retaliate after Iran's missile attack on Israel

“I am going to call Bibi right now and tell him not to retaliate. Each of them had their moment: Israel had its strike, and Iran had its strike. We don't need another one,” Trump said

US President Donald Trump said he would call Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ask him not to respond to the missiles Iran fired at Israel on Sunday, in an effort to prevent a new escalation and salvage a deal with Tehran that he considers “very close.” It was Iran's first direct attack since the ceasefire reached on April 8.

“I am going to call Bibi right now and tell him not to retaliate. Each of them had their moment: Israel had its strike, and Iran had its strike. We don't need another one,” Trump told the outlet Axios. The president insisted he was close to sealing a pact with Iran: “We are very close to a final deal. I don't want it to blow up over what's happening now.” According to Axios, Trump's demand that Israel not respond is unusual, since without Washington's backing an Israeli offensive against Iran would be more difficult and risky.

The Iranian attack was retaliation for an Israeli strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold. The Israeli military said it had intercepted all the missiles, which set off air-raid sirens at 10 p.m. local time (7 p.m. GMT). No casualties were reported.

The Israeli cabinet, however, left the door open to a response. The chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, said the armed forces would strike “the moment the green light is given,” pending a decision at the political level. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir wrote on the social network X that “Tehran should burn tonight.”

Trump, who moments earlier had criticized the Israeli bombing of Lebanon in an interview with Fox News, argued that the Iranian attacks “did not harm anyone” and warned that they would not help negotiations to end the war, which is reaching 100 days. “I hope Israel does not retaliate. If Bibi responds, it will keep happening as it has for the last 47 years, or the last 3,000 years,” he added. At the same time, he urged Tehran to “return to the table” and “reach a deal,” and reiterated that he is not “happy” with the Israeli bombings in Lebanon.

Netanyahu's response, analysts note, will help gauge how much sway the US president retains over Israel at a moment when the regional truce is teetering once again.