Vance Tees Off on Israel After Criticism of Iran Deal

Vice President JD Vance delivered the sort of direct, blunt message that's rarely used in diplomacy to Israel on Thursday, advising that it not pick fights with its sole remaining major ally. Responding to Israeli criticism of the new US-Iran agreement, Vance said Israel is "isolated internationally" and noted that roughly two-thirds of the weapons defending it in recent months were funded by American taxpayers. "If I was in the Cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world," he told reporters, adding that anyone in Israel who sees President Trump as the country's main problem needs to "wake up and smell the reality."

Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed an initial deal aimed at halting the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday. Israel is not a signee, and its threat to continue operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia there, could wreck the agreement, the New York Times points out. Trump also has criticized Israel's attacks on Lebanon recently. Speaking at the White House, Vance said, "Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time."