Trump suggests Israel in no place to criticize Iran deal for not joining 2020 strike on Soleimani

US President Donald Trump suggested Wednesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is less justified in criticizing the memorandum that he signed this week with Iran because the Israeli premier purportedly pulled out of a joint operation to kill top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in 2020.

Trump made the suggestion during a press conference on the sidelines a G7 summit where he spent a considerable portion of his time railing against Israel — something he has made a habit of doing in recent days amid frustration with Israel’s prosecution of its war against Hezbollah, which has jeopardized US-Iran negotiations.

The president began by rehashing his criticism of Israel for purportedly pulling out of a joint operation with the US in 2020 to kill Soleimani, who was the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force.

Trump has told this story repeatedly in the past, but had largely stopped after he became the GOP presidential nominee in 2024, at which point his relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu improved substantially.

“They’ve been wonderful to me, Israel, but they didn’t want to do that attack,” Trump said.

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“They were all set the night before the attack. Then [Israel told] me they didn’t want to do it,” Trump added, claiming that he decided to go ahead with the operation alone.

He later hit out at critics who he said were calling on him to continue bombing Iran, rather than sign an agreement to end the war.

“For all of those so-called geniuses who want to show me how smart they are, ask them why didn’t they blow up General Solemeini,” Trump said, almost certainly referring to Israel.

Trump then repeated his criticism of Netanyahu over Israeli strikes on Hezbollah.

“Bibi Netanyahu happens to be a good man, but he gets a little excited sometimes,” Trump said, while still calling him an “amazing prime minister.”

“We have a little dispute over Lebanon. I say, ‘You can do a little softer touch, Bibi. You don’t have to knock down a building every time somebody walks into it that’s from Hezbollah,’” Trump said.

“But it’s been an amazing partnership. [Netanyahu] will say [the US is] the big partner, and [Israel’s] the very small partner, and that’s true,” he added.

Israel has fumed at the MOU for several reasons, including its explicit extension of the US-Iran ceasefire to Lebanon — something that Jerusalem says it is not beholden to. The final version of the MOU also recognizes the need to ensure “the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon.”

Asked on a phone briefing with reporters whether this means that Israel will have to withdraw from the buffer zone it has created in southern Lebanon, a senior US official declined to give a direct answer, instead reiterating that the US expects Iran to restrain Hezbollah or the terror group will faced continued Israeli attacks.

US Vice President JD Vance did reportedly ask Netanyahu in recent days to gradually withdraw from Lebanon, but the Israeli premier is said to have refused, while assuring him the Israel Defense Forces would act in a more calculated manner.

For his part, Trump at the press conference reiterated his desire for the nascent Syrian government to fight Hezbollah instead of Israel — a wildly unpopular idea in Damascus, Beirut and Jerusalem.

The US president appeared to subsequently acknowledge having heard some pushback to the idea. “I don’t know that people want that — maybe they don’t.”

As for Netanyahu, Trump argued that he should be thrilled with the MOU because it means “they’re not going to be nuked.”

“I told Bibi, ‘The biggest risk was that they drop a nuclear weapon into the middle of Israel,” Trump said.

“‘Think of it, Bibi. The most important thing that you were asking for is that,’” Trump continued. “So, I think they’re [Israel] happy.”

Israel is said to overwhelmingly oppose the deal, as it only includes an Iranian pledge not to obtain a nuclear weapon. Beyond that, all Iran has agreed to do is merely discuss making further concessions in follow-up negotiations over the next two months, during which they are slated to receive considerable sanctions relief.

‘Look at the job we’ve done’

In addition to the Soleimani side-bar during the press conference, Trump also segued to tout the work his administration has done in the Gaza Strip.

The US brokered a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Hamas and Israel last year, but that agreement has stalled, as the terror group has refused to implement the second phase requirement that it give up its weapons, while Israel has violated terms of the first phase pertaining to humanitarian aid, troop withdrawals and a halt on strikes in the Strip.

But Trump appeared impressed by what he has seen nonetheless.

“Look at the job we’ve done in Gaza. Hamas has been very silent. You haven’t read anything about Hamas,” he said, as Israel warns the terrorist organization is reconstituting its power in the Strip.

“When they were born, they came out with a machine gun in their hand, so it’s not the easiest thing, but they’ve actually behaved pretty well, considering this was not the lifestyle that they were taught,” Trump added.

Another apparently off-the-cuff remark pertained to the UAE, which Trump said participated in the bombing against Iran. Abu Dhabi has not publicly confirmed that to date.

Trump praised UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, calling him an “incredible warrior.”

“He was dropping bombs last week. I said, ‘Who the hell’s dropping all those bombs?’ It was UAE,” Trump proclaimed.

Despite Israel’s strained relationships with many of its neighbors due to disagreements over its policies in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon, and Iran, Trump again expressed his hope that countries in the region will join the Abraham Accords.

Last month, Trump threatened not to sign an agreement with Iran if countries did not join the Abraham Accords, though he appeared to have come down from that demand.

Trump reportedly told Netanyahu in a phone call earlier this month that “everyone hates Israel” for the way it is going after Hezbollah in Lebanon.