In a rare public rebuke of Israel by the Trump administration, US Vice President JD Vance has criticised senior Israeli ministers for opposing Washington’s agreement with Iran, arguing that military force alone cannot resolve long-term security challenges and urging leaders to give diplomacy a chance.
In an interview with The New York Times published on Thursday, June 18, Vance responded to criticism from Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who have voiced opposition to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed a day earlier by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
“What is your exact proposal? You’re a country of nine million people. You can’t just kill your way out of solving every single national security problem that you have,” Vance said.
He urged Israeli officials to allow negotiations to proceed and evaluate the agreement based on Iran’s actions rather than speculation about its intentions.
Vance also dismissed the backlash from sections of Israel’s political establishment, arguing that Washington had earned trust through decades of support for its ally.
“I find this whole freakout in Israel a little bit odd because I think that it comes from a place of mistrust,” he said.
Ben Gvir hits back at Vance
Ben Gvir rejected Vance’s criticism and defended a more aggressive approach towards Iran and its regional allies.
Responding on X, the Israeli national security minister compared Iran to Nazi Germany and argued that military force was the only effective response.
“This is the proposal … To deal with the Nazis of the 21st century, just as the United States dealt with the Nazis of the 20th century,” Ben-Gvir wrote.
In a separate post on Friday, June 19, Ben Gvir defended a hardline military approach and rejected calls for restraint in Lebanon. He said Israel’s security and the protection of its citizens must take precedence over all other considerations.
“For every tear of an Israeli mother, a thousand Lebanese mothers must weep,” he wrote, adding that “all of Lebanon must burn”.
Ben Gvir also criticised what he described as a “ping-pong” approach to the conflict, arguing that measured responses and restraint were ineffective in the Middle East and calling instead for decisive action to defeat militant groups threatening Israel.
Lebanon escalation tests agreement
The exchange came as violence intensified in southern Lebanon, one of the areas affected by the broader regional understandings linked to the US-Iran accord.
Lebanese authorities said at least 18 people were killed and 33 others wounded in Israeli air strikes across 11 towns overnight. Israel said it had struck more than 80 Hezbollah-linked targets.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the latest military operation in Lebanon, saying it was launched in response to what he described as a Hezbollah attack that violated the ceasefire.
In a post on X, Netanyahu said he had instructed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to strike Hezbollah “with full force” after the group allegedly targeted Israeli territory.
“The rule in Lebanon is the same as in Iran. We will not allow any harm to the State of Israel and will respond forcefully to any violation of the ceasefire,” Netanyahu wrote.
He said the IDF had carried out strikes on more than 80 Hezbollah-linked targets and later targeted the group’s headquarters in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley.
Netanyahu added that Israel would continue acting against threats posed by Hezbollah and maintain its presence in a security zone in southern Lebanon “for as long as required” to protect residents of northern Israel.
Vance defends deal at White House
Speaking later at a White House press briefing, Vance defended the administration’s approach, describing the agreement as an opportunity to reduce tensions and pursue a broader regional settlement.
He said recent military action had significantly weakened Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure, creating conditions for diplomacy.
“If the Iranians don’t change their behaviour, their military and their nuclear programme is still destroyed. If they do change their behaviour, then they are going to have a transformative relationship with the Middle East,” Vance said.
The vice president maintained that countries have a right to self-defence, but stressed that lasting stability requires more than military action.
Vance also voiced concern over incidents that could undermine diplomatic progress, particularly attacks resulting in civilian casualties.
While reaffirming Israel’s right to defend itself, he said all parties involved in the peace process must honour their commitments.
“Both sides have to honour their end of the deal,” he said, referring to obligations involving Israel and Hezbollah.
Lapid warns of diplomatic fallout
The comments prompted a response from Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid, who argued that the government’s handling of foreign relations was damaging Israel’s international standing.
In a post on X, Lapid pointed to criticism from senior US officials, tensions with European partners and remarks by Trump regarding Lebanon as signs of growing diplomatic pressure.
“If we don’t quickly replace this government, Israel’s foreign relations will be wiped out,” he wrote.
