US Vice President JD Vance warned Israel on Thursday that it cannot “kill its way out” of solving every national security problem, delivering one of the Trump administration’s sharpest public rebukes of the country since a memorandum of understanding with Iran was signed this week.
In a New York Times interview published on June 18, Vance pointed directly at Israel’s far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, who have criticized the US-Iran deal. “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.
The vice president’s comments marked a significant shift in rhetoric from the Trump administration, which has historically backed Israel without public criticism. Vance defended the Iran deal and called on Israel to “give a little bit of credit to the United States of America, which I think has been an incredible partner for the Israeli government for a long time.”
Vance went further in a subsequent White House press briefing on Thursday, warning Israeli officials not to attack the US over the agreement. “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 said, according to reporting from the Guardian and Reuters. The statement carried an implicit threat: Israel depends on US military support and diplomatic backing that could be jeopardized by continued criticism.
The US provides Israel with roughly $4 billion in military assistance annually, according to an SBS News report citing defense figures. The Guardian noted that Vance referenced “the billions in defence aid Israel receives from the United States” in his rebuke to Israeli critics.
Vance’s warnings came as Israeli military strikes in southern Lebanon threatened to derail the nascent US-Iran peace process. On Thursday, Israel intensified strikes in Lebanon despite the ceasefire agreement, prompting Vance to cancel his planned trip to Switzerland for direct talks with Iran, according to NBC News. The escalation raised questions about whether Israel would respect the terms of the agreement that the Trump administration had just negotiated.
Later on Friday, Israel and Hezbollah agreed to renew their ceasefire after the intensified fighting, according to reports from NBC News, CNN, and France 24. The agreement came after Vance and the Trump administration applied pressure on Israel to halt its military operations and allow the US-Iran negotiations to proceed.
Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have been among the most vocal Israeli critics of the Iran deal. On June 15, Ben-Gvir called the agreement a “historic mistake” that failed to achieve the war’s main goal, according to the Times of Israel. Smotrich echoed the criticism, calling the deal “bad for Israel and the entire free world,” according to Middle East Monitor and other outlets.
Vance framed the war itself as a victory for the Trump administration regardless of how negotiations proceed. “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,” he said, according to Al Jazeera’s reporting of his Thursday press conference.
Sources
- Al Jazeera — Vance’s direct quotes on Israel’s inability to “kill its way out” of security problems, his defense of the Iran deal, and framing of the war as a victory.
- The New York Times — Vance’s interview in which he criticized Israeli officials and the Iran deal criticism.
- The Guardian — Vance’s warning about attacking the “only powerful ally” and reference to billions in defense aid.
- Reuters — Vance’s warning to Israeli critics not to attack the US over the Iran deal.
- NBC News — Israeli strikes in Lebanon, Vance’s cancellation of Switzerland trip, and the renewed ceasefire agreement.
- CNN — Israel and Hezbollah ceasefire agreement details.
- France 24 — Ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah.
- The Times of Israel — Ben-Gvir’s criticism of the Iran deal as a “historic mistake.”
- Middle East Monitor — Smotrich’s statement calling the deal “bad for Israel.”
- SBS News — US military aid to Israel ($4 billion annually).
