Vance tells Israeli critics Trump is their only ally left

Vice President JD Vance defended the US-Iran deal this week and told Israeli critics that President Donald Trump is the only head of state sympathetic to Israel.

Vance spoke at a White House news briefing after reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was angry over the agreement. He said he had not heard such comments from Netanyahu but criticized members of the Israeli leader's cabinet who have attacked the deal and Trump personally.

"My message to them would be twofold. No 1: 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," Vance told reporters.

"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."

Vance also reminded the cabinet members that two-thirds of the defensive weapons that have protected Israel have been built by American hands and paid for by American tax dollars. The United States provides Israel with roughly $4 billion in military assistance each year, and the two countries are negotiating a new aid agreement.

"The problem for Israel is not Donald J Trump, and anybody in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the president of the United States needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation that country is in," Vance said.

The deal has drawn criticism in both the United States and Israel for failing to curb Iran's missile program and offering no clear path to dismantling its nuclear facilities. It also constrains Israel in its war with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

Trump has repeatedly criticized Israel, raising tensions nearly four months after the two countries partnered to attack Iran. The war has affected markets and global oil supplies after Tehran closed the Strait of Hormuz supply route.

Netanyahu's office and Israel's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Israeli senior officials speaking anonymously said the deal terms were bad for Israel because they failed to address concerns over Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Trump tried to play down Israel's concerns during closing remarks on Wednesday at the G7 summit in France. He said Netanyahu could use a "softer touch" in the fight against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

In his first comments since the deal, Netanyahu said at a public event that Israel appreciated its relationship with the United States but would continue to occupy southern Lebanon to maintain security for citizens living near Israel's northern border.

Israel published a map on Thursday showing an expanded military control zone in southern Lebanon and said it would not rule out carrying out attacks beyond it, challenging the terms of the US-Iran agreement.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a key figure in Netanyahu's governing coalition, has harshly criticized the deal and insisted Israeli troops would remain in Lebanon. Vance also criticized Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in a New York Times interview released earlier on Thursday.

"What is your exact proposal? You're a country of 9 million people. You can't just kill your way out of solving every single national security problem that you have," Vance said.

"I find this whole freakout in Israel a little bit odd because I think that it comes from a place of mistrust, and I think that America has earned the trust of that region, of the world," Vance said.

Ben-Gvir responded on X, saying: "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."

After Vance's remarks, Trump posted on social media that he encouraged everyone in the Middle East to maintain their commitment to allowing negotiations to take place. "We expect a complete Ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel," Trump wrote.