Trump: Israel and Iran Must Stop Fighting Immediately

SadaNews - President Donald Trump has demanded that Iran and Israel "stop fighting immediately" following renewed shelling between the two sides, in a development that threatens a return to war and the collapse of the fragile ceasefire agreement.

Trump wrote on his Truth Social account, "Israel and Iran must stop fighting immediately," without providing further details.

Trump has pressured Israel to halt its attacks in Lebanon to pave the way for an agreement to end the broader war with Iran, with the pressure peaking when he berated Netanyahu in vulgar terms during a phone call last week.

However, Israel carried out airstrikes on the southern suburb of Beirut earlier on Sunday for the first time since the United States announced a proposed ceasefire plan in Lebanon days prior.

Iran launched barrages of missiles at Israeli targets in response, threatening talks between Washington and Tehran. Nevertheless, Trump insisted that an agreement to end the broader war is still within reach.

Trump told the Financial Times, "This will have no impact on the agreement... I am the one making the decisions. I am the one making all the decisions. He (Netanyahu) does not make the decisions."

An Israeli official revealed to Reuters that Trump spoke with Netanyahu over the phone from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, for just under half an hour, without providing further details.

Axios reported earlier, citing a U.S. official, that Trump asked Netanyahu during the call to refrain from launching more attacks "because we are on the brink of achieving something good regarding the agreement."

For its part, Fox News reported Trump as saying, "What I suggest to Iran: You have fired your missiles, that's enough, come back to the table and make a deal."

Since April 8, a ceasefire has prevailed between Tehran and Washington, following a war initiated by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28, which resulted in more than three thousand deaths, according to Tehran.

Iran retaliated with attacks that killed Americans and Israelis, and also carried out strikes against what it said were U.S. targets in Arab countries; however, some of these resulted in civilian casualties and damaged civilian facilities, which have been condemned by the targeted countries.