Trump says Israel's Lebanon strike delayed Iran deal signing by hours, slams Netanyahu

US President Donald Trump on Sunday criticized Israel's airstrike on the southern outskirts of Beirut, the Lebanese capital, and urged all parties, including Israel, to exercise restraint.

Writing on his Truth Social account, Trump said the Israeli strike on Beirut "should not have happened" on Monday morning and that the timing was especially troubling. "This is a very special day, as we are very close to a peace deal with Iran," he said.

Trump had earlier said a cease-fire memorandum of understanding with Iran would be signed Monday — his 80th birthday. Iran acknowledged that a signing was imminent but said no date had been finalized. Trump's remarks appeared to signal that Israel's strike on Lebanon must not be allowed to derail a peace agreement that was within reach.

"Israel has the right to defend itself against threats, but the attack it responded to was very small and insignificant — no one was hurt," Trump said, adding that the strike must not "interfere with this very important process" — a reference to the US-Iran MOU.

Israel launched the strike Sunday after saying Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon, had sent three drones into Israeli airspace. Lebanese media reported that the strike killed at least three people and wounded 15.

Trump said the United States was "very close to a deal that will bring peace to the region, including Lebanon," and again urged all parties to show restraint. "There should be no more Israeli attacks anywhere in Lebanon, and no other party, including Hezbollah, should attack Israel," he said. "This can be the beginning of a long and beautiful peace. Don't blow it."

In a phone interview with Axios, Trump said US-Iran talks on the cease-fire MOU remained on track despite the Israeli strike near Beirut and Iran's threats of retaliation.

"Things got rattled. It delayed the signing by a few hours," Trump said, adding that the signing had been expected to take place by then but had been pushed back by several hours. His remarks suggested that while the Israeli strike had temporarily disrupted the process, he still believed a deal could be signed later Monday.

Trump acknowledged that Hezbollah had struck first but noted that the attack caused no damage and no deaths. He then turned his fire on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "Why the hell did he have to attack? I'm really angry," Trump said. "It was one hour before we were going to sign." He went further, saying Netanyahu had "no damn judgment."