US Vice-President JD Vance has publicly cautioned critics within Israel's government against attacking President Donald Trump over Washington's agreement with Iran, arguing that Israel risks isolating itself from its most important international partner.
Addressing reporters at the White House, Vance urged members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Cabinet to recognise the geopolitical reality facing Israel as tensions between Trump and Netanyahu continue to escalate.
"Trump is the only head of state anywhere in the world who is still sympathetic to Israel at this point, and he also happens to be the head of the world's greatest power," AFP quoted Vance saying.
He warned that Israeli leaders should avoid antagonising their strongest ally.
"If I were in the Israeli government Cabinet, I probably would not attack the only strong ally I still had anywhere in the world," he said.
Vance nevertheless praised Netanyahu for refraining from personally criticising the agreement, while emphasising the scale of American military assistance that continues to underpin Israel's security.
"Over the past three months, two-thirds of the defensive weapons protecting your homeland were built by American workers and paid for by American taxpayers," he said.
"Israel's problem is not Trump. Anyone in Israel who thinks the President of the United States is their biggest problem needs to wake up to the reality of the situation."
In an interview with The New York Times published on Thursday, Vance directly identified Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as among those publicly opposing the agreement with Iran.
"I guess my response to them is — what exactly is your proposal? You're a country of nine million people. You cannot solve every national security problem simply by killing people," Vance told the newspaper.
The remarks underscore growing differences between Washington and sections of Israel's right-wing government over how to address regional security and Iran's role in the Middle East.
Although the United States and Israel jointly launched military operations against Iran on 28 February, Trump has since criticised Israel for continuing strikes against Lebanon, warning that further escalation could jeopardise diplomatic efforts with Tehran.
Trump has also become increasingly outspoken over the mounting civilian casualties resulting from Israeli military operations, particularly those targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon.
On Thursday, the US President called on Israel and other Middle Eastern countries to fully observe the ceasefire.
"We expect a complete ceasefire across all fronts, including Lebanon, between Hezbollah and Israel. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. - June 19, 2026
