The Israeli military struck Beirut Sunday morning, targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in what it called a response to attacks on northern Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed the strikes occurred in the southern suburbs.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the attack “should not have happened,” telling Axios in an expletive-laden call that Netanyahu has “no f—— judgment. I let him know that.”
Mediators attempt to salvage peace deal
Israel’s attack comes as the U.S. and Iran prepare to sign a finalized peace deal. Trump said the deal, which would end the U.S.-Iran war and open the Straight of Hormuz, was supposed to be signed Sunday Morning, but Israel’s strike delayed the proceeding.
“It shook it up,” he told Axios. “It delayed the signing by a few hours. It was supposed to be now. Now it is scheduled for a few hours from now.”
“It is so bad,” Trump continued. “I couldn’t believe it. An hour before we are supposed to sign the deal.”
Mediators from Qatar traveled to Tehran Sunday to finalize the deal, which Iran wants to include a ceasefire on fighting in Lebanon. Israel, which mediators left out of negotiations, said it was not happy with the deal.
“Israel will not tolerate firing into its territory,” Netanyahu said in a joint statement with Defense Minister Israel Katz.
Israel also struck Lebanon last week, triggering the largest escalation between Israel and Iran since the April 7 ceasefire took effect.
While Trump agreed that Israel has a right to defend itself, he said the timing of Sunday’s strike could place negotiations in jeopardy.
“Israel has the right to defend itself against threats, but the attack it was responding to was very small and meaningless, nobody was hurt, injured, or killed, and should not disrupt this important process,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Nuclear deal still in the air
While the proposed peace deal would end the U.S.-Iran war, it does not address Iran’s uranium enrichment program. The deal’s framework allows for another 60 days of negotiations to discuss Iran’s nuclear program. It also allows for continued discussion of Iran’s frozen financial assets.
Pakistani mediators are leading those discussions.
The current deal appears to fall short of the U.S. and Israel’s initial goal of eliminating Iran’s nuclear missiles in their entirety. As of June 2025, Iran had nearly 1000 pounds of uranium enriched to 60%, short of the 90% required for weapons, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The agency said it has not been able to verify Iran’s supply since the Israel-Iran war began at that time.
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