The United States came close to being pulled back into a wider Middle East conflict over the past 24 hours, even as President Donald Trump has been trying to avoid deeper military involvement, Axios reported.
About 100 days into the war, Trump is still seeking a deal with Iran but spent the last day trying to stop a fresh escalation between Israel and Iran.
Escalation begins with Beirut strike
The latest tensions began on Sunday when Israel carried out a strike on a Hezbollah-linked target in Beirut. According to Axios, US officials were informed through military channels but the White House was not directly notified in advance.
The strike triggered a response from Iran, which launched missiles towards Israel as it had previously warned. Some Israeli officials had earlier believed Iran might not follow through on such threats.
From there, the situation escalated quickly, with multiple rounds of strikes and counterstrikes.
Story continues below this ad
‘you will be on your own very soon’
Trump spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday evening and urged restraint, according to US officials cited by Axios.
“I said, ‘Bibi, you better be careful, or you will be on your own very soon,’” Trump told Axios in an interview.
Trump indicated that he was trying to buy time, arguing that a potential deal with Iran could make further strikes unnecessary. At the same time, he warned that continued escalation could leave Israel without US backing.
Despite this, Netanyahu maintained that failing to respond to Iranian attacks would weaken Israel’s position and send the wrong signal.
Story continues below this ad
The call between the two leaders ended without a firm commitment from Israel to hold back. Israeli officials later informed the US that they would proceed with further strikes.
Israel targeted parts of Iran’s petrochemical infrastructure and sites in Tehran. Iran responded with another wave of missiles, including strikes towards Tel Aviv.
Although US forces did not take part in the attacks, they assisted Israel in intercepting incoming missiles, according to US defence officials.
“They called us and said they are not doing any more attacks”
Story continues below this ad
Trump said his administration received messages from Iran indicating it was open to stopping further strikes if Israel did the same.
“They called us and said that they are not doing any more attacks and asked us to tell Israel not to do any more attacks,” Trump said.
He also said leaders from several countries in the region had contacted him, urging him to press Israel to step back.
US pushes to halt further strikes
Axios reported that Israel was preparing a larger wave of strikes on Monday, targeting multiple sensitive sites in Iran. Trump again called Netanyahu and asked him to stop.
Story continues below this ad
After the conversation, Netanyahu agreed to hold off on further action if Iran did not escalate. He later instructed Israeli military commanders to cancel the planned strikes.
Trump said he still believes a deal with Iran could be reached soon, claiming it would stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons and halt uranium enrichment.
However, Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf rejected those claims, saying there was no trust in the US position and that Washington’s statements did not match earlier understandings.
Axios reported that the events of the past day highlight growing differences between US and Israeli priorities.
A US official told Axios that Netanyahu needs the war to continue for political reasons at home, while Trump wants it to end to strengthen his position in the US.
The developments show how quickly the situation could shift again, even as both sides step back from the brink for now.
