WSJ Hammers Trump For Caving to Iran Demands And ‘Rescuing Hezbollah’

(Justin Lane/Pool Photo via AP)

The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board put President Donald Trump on blast on Tuesday, arguing that the president “rescued Hezbollah” on Monday and “tied Israel’s hands” at the behest of Iran.

Reports broke early Monday morning that Iran had cut off negotiations with the U.S. to end the simmering conflict following an exchange of missile fire between the two countries. Iranian state media blamed the breakdown of talks on Israel’s continued bombing of Lebanon, in response to Hezbollah firing rockets into the north of Israel.

“Trump spent the rest of the day scrambling to satisfy Iran’s demand. The result is a new cease-fire in Lebanon, rescuing Hezbollah for the moment, though the terrorists didn’t abide by the first cease-fire for even a day,” wrote the WSJ editorial board of the day’s events, adding:

Hezbollah began this war with Israel on March 2, firing on soldiers and civilian targets on the orders of its Iranian patrons. The first Lebanon cease-fire was announced April 17 after Iran’s regime had said Israeli retaliation against Hezbollah was preventing the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Mr. Trump pressured Israel and delivered the cease-fire, but Iran reneged on Hormuz—and its Hezbollah proxy kept firing.

While the WSJ editorial seriously doubts the value of the ceasefire Trump announced on Monday between Israel and Hezbollah, the board argues it benefited Iran by continuing to prolong negotiations and painted Israel as the aggressor in the region.

The Rupert Murdoch-owned paper pointed out that Hezbollah fired “an average of 125 rockets and 49 drones” at Israel each day last week.

“No country can live with that,” added the WSJ, noting that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu had threatened to attack Hezbollah’s stronghold in Beirut if the attacks did not stop.

“Enter Iran,” adds the WSJ, arguing that just as the escalation reached a boiling point and Israel was ready to pounce on Hezbollah in Beirut, Iran pulled out of the negotiations and successfully manipulated Trump into pulling Israel back.
“Iran is winning its proxy a refuge,” concluded the WSJ, adding:

Anytime it wants, Iran could tell Hezbollah to stop shooting and end the war, which Israel has no desire to wage. Instead it encouraged Hezbollah’s fire, so it could cut off U.S. talks when Israel inevitably responded in force. The regime has two interests here: Protecting its terror proxy while it attacks Israel and resisting the U.S. changes to the draft memorandum of understanding that we reported on Thursday.

The WSJ concluded by noting that “Trump has chosen to avoid escalation and keep talking” no matter what Iran does – including Hezbollah attacks on Israel and Iranian missiles fired at U.S. forces in Kuwait. “If he won’t send a different message, it will be difficult to get the regime to comply with a deal, no matter what it promises now,” warned the WSJ, concluding the scathing editorial.

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