Trump hangs on tight as Bibi ignores ceasefire and keeps pedal to Mideast metal

(Originally published Apr. 10 in “What in the World“) Trump is still just a passenger on Bibi’s war machine.

It was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who lobbied and ultimately convinced Trump to attack Iran Feb. 28. Trump may have thought he was in charge of what has ensued. So he didn’t bother telling Netanyahu about his two-week ceasefire with Iran.

So, like any good partner in a dysfunctional relationship, Bibi has gone passive aggressive and is ignoring it. Well, not ignoring it. Flouting it. On the first day of the ceasefire, Israel launched its heaviest bombardment of Lebanon so far, more than 100 airstrikes in 10 minutes.

Netanyahu acceded Thursday to Washington’s request that he enter negotiations with Lebanon as part of larger talks to end the war. But he ruled out any ceasefire in Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Lebanon and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia there it is trying to annihilate. Iran, Pakistan (mediated the ceasefire) and even Washington’s European allies have said pausing the attacks against Tehran’s proxies in Lebanon is part of the deal; the U.S. has said it isn’t.

And so the missiles keep flying between Hezbollah and Israel. Yet if Israel doesn’t stop bombing, Iran may not honor the ceasefire and U.S. Vice President JD Vance may come away from talks scheduled this weekend in Islamabad empty-handed. Iran has already said Israel’s Wednesday barrage rendered the talks “meaningless.” And Trump is back to threatening Iran for not only failing to re-open the Strait of Hormuz, but imposing tolls. “They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now!” Trump posted.

At least the war is proving a teachable moment for America’s enemies. Case in point: North Korea’s missile tests early this week. The hermit kingdom was reportedly testing two weapons it has seen deployed in the Iran war: cluster munitions and graphite bombs. Iran fired cluster munitions into Israel last month in retaliation for U.S.-Israel attacks, while observers have speculated that the U.S. used graphite bombs to short-circuit Tehran’s electrical grid and cause blackouts. Pyongyang’s launches also tested out a new mobile short-range air defense system.