Trump Delivers Stark Warning to Israel: "Do Not Drop Those Bombs, Bring Your Pilots Home, Now!

         Updated: June 24, 2025 | 07:56 pm IST

  In a dramatic turn of events, US President Donald Trump today delivered a sharp public rebuke to Israel, accusing both Israel and Iran of violating a ceasefire he had just declared, and explicitly ordering Israel to halt its military operations. His blunt statement, "Do not drop those bombs, bring your pilots home, now!" underscored the extreme fragility of the truce in the 12-day conflict.

The President's forceful warning came after he had announced a "complete and total ceasefire" on Monday evening (US time), outlining a phased implementation for both sides. However, mere hours later, reports of explosions in Tehran and continued missile activity from Iran, along with Israeli retaliatory strikes, indicated that the peace was far from settled.

Speaking to reporters before departing for the NATO summit in The Hague, President Trump voiced his clear dissatisfaction with both nations. "They violated it, but Israel violated it too," Trump stated, expressing particular frustration with Israel. "I'm not happy with Israel... I didn't like the fact that Israel unloaded right after we made the deal."

He further elaborated on his frustration via his Truth Social platform, directly addressing Israel: "ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!" In a subsequent post, he added, "Israel is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly 'Plane Wave' to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect!"

While Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office later confirmed that Israel "refrained" from further strikes following a call with President Trump, earlier reports from the Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz had indicated orders for "intense strikes against regime targets in the heart of Tehran," accusing Iran of violating the truce. Iran, for its part, denied firing missiles after the ceasefire began but confirmed earlier missile barrages and the activation of air defense systems in response to Israeli activity.

The intense exchange highlights the deep mistrust and deeply entrenched hostilities that continue to challenge any efforts toward de-escalation. The ceasefire, if it holds, appears to be heavily reliant on continuous, direct intervention from the United States. Global markets, having initially seen a brief rally on ceasefire hopes, remain volatile as the international community watches anxiously to see if the rhetoric will translate into a genuine cessation of hostilities.