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Trump says Israeli strike on Beirut 'should not have happened' as US-Iran deal nears
He also said the upcoming agreement with Tehran could mark the beginning of a 'long and beautiful peace,' but cautioned that it must not be derailed
- PUBLISHED: Sun 14 Jun 2026, 7:40 PM
[Editor's Note: Follow the Khaleej Times live blog for the latest regional developments with the US-Israel-Iran ceasefire now in effect]
US President Donald Trump on Sunday, June 14, criticised Israel’s strikes on Beirut, saying the attack “should not have happened" and called on all sides to stand down.
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"This morning’s attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Trump said Israel had the right to defend itself but argued that the strike was in response to a “very small and meaningless” incident in which no one was hurt, injured, or killed.
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He added that the attack should not disrupt what he described as an important diplomatic process, saying the US is "very close to a deal that could bring peace to the region, including Lebanon".
Trump called on all sides to de-escalate, stressing: "There should be no more attacks by Israel anywhere in Lebanon, but there should also be no more attacks by any other party, including Hezbollah, against Israel."
He said the situation could mark the beginning of a “long and beautiful peace,” but cautioned that it must not be derailed, adding: “Let’s not blow it!”
His remarks came hours after Lebanon's civil defence agency said an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs killed at least three people, while Israel's military said it had targeted Hezbollah positions.
The civil defence statement said that "the bodies of three martyrs were recovered from under the rubble and six wounded" were taken to hospital after the strike, which hit the Ghobeiry area of the Hezbollah stronghold.
The attack also drew a sharp response from Tehran.
A senior Iranian military official warned on Sunday that Israel's strike on Beirut's southern suburbs would not go "unanswered" by Tehran, according to local media.
"Without a doubt, these crimes will not go unanswered," Brigadier General Mohammad Jafar Asadi, deputy commander of Iran's highest military command, told Defa Press news agency following the attack.
The strike has further complicated an already fragile diplomatic process between Washington and Tehran. Iran said on Sunday there was "no point" in peace talks with the United States, accusing it of failing to uphold its commitments and casting doubt on a deal that Donald Trump had insisted would be signed imminently.
Iran, however, appeared to reject that timeline.
"The Zionists' aggresssion against Dahieh once again showed that the United States either lacks the will to implement its commitments or lacks the ability to do so," Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on X, referring to the suburbs.
"If you do not have the will or the ability to fulfil your commitments, then there is no point in talking about continuing down this path."
