Vice President JD Vance issued an unusually direct warning to Israeli officials on Thursday, cautioning against public criticism of the United States over the Iran peace agreement and urging Jerusalem to recognize Washington’s role as its primary global ally.
Vance said Israel risks isolating itself if senior ministers continue to attack the deal brokered by President Donald Trump, which aims to de-escalate tensions following months of regional conflict. He argued that the United States remains Israel’s most important strategic partner in an increasingly fragmented global landscape.
“Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the state of Israel right now, and he just happens to be the head of the world’s superpower,” Vance told reporters at the White House on Thursday, according to AFP. “If I were in the Israeli government cabinet, I would probably not attack the only strong ally I have in the world.”
In a separate interview with The New York Times published the same day, Vance explicitly named Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as leading voices of criticism against the agreement. He challenged their approach to national security policy.
“What I would say to them is, what is your actual proposal? You are a country of nine million people. You cannot just kill your way out of every national security problem you have,” Vance said.
While sharply criticizing some members of Netanyahu’s cabinet, Vance praised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not personally joining the public backlash against the deal. He also stressed the scale of U.S. military support for Israel throughout the conflict.
“Over the last three months, two-thirds of the defensive weapons that have protected your homeland were built by American hands and paid for by American taxpayer dollars,” he said. “The problem for Israel is not Donald J. Trump — and anyone in Israel who thinks the biggest problem they have is the president of the United States needs to wake up and understand the reality of the situation.”
Tensions between Washington and Jerusalem have intensified in recent weeks, particularly between Trump and Netanyahu, despite the two countries jointly launching military operations against Iran earlier in 2026. The disagreement has deepened as Trump expresses growing concern over Israeli strikes in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah, which he says risk undermining the fragile ceasefire framework with Tehran.
“When you fire two drones into a desert and they fall harmlessly, you don’t need to bring down buildings in Beirut,” Trump said during a news conference at the Group of Seven summit in France on Wednesday. “They can behave better, and frankly, they can do a better job.”
Trump later reiterated his call for restraint across the region in a post on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, urging all parties to uphold ceasefire commitments.
“We expect a full ceasefire across all lines, including Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he wrote.
