Middle East Madness > Trump drops F-bomb but stops most other bombs from falling

 

That Trump used the F-bomb overshadows the fact that he turned Israeli bombers around before dropping more bombs on Iran and destroying any efforts for a ceasefire.

Trump drops ‘F-bomb’ over Israel and Iran

The two countries “do not know what the f*** they are doing,” the US president has said, referring to ceasefire violations

US President Donald Trump speaks with reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, Washington, DC, June 24, 2025. ©  AP Photo/Evan Vucci

US President Donald Trump has resorted to obscene language in blasting both Israel and Iran for allegedly violating a Washington-brokered ceasefire.

Shortly after officially agreeing to the truce, West Jerusalem accused Tehran of firing more missiles at Israeli territory and promised a harsh response. Iran has denied attacking Israel. The exact time when the ceasefire was supposed to take effect remains unclear.

“We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they do not know what the f*** they are doing,” Trump told journalists on Tuesday before departing for the NATO summit in The Hague.

I hate that Trump resorted to vulgar, adolescent language, the likes of which I have not heard from the mouth of a President since Richard Nixon, and that is not good company to be in. But that he rescued the cease-fire by turning Israeli Air Force bombers around is the real story here.

Trump urges petroleum producers to ‘keep oil prices down’

The US president said that he was “not happy” with both countries, but especially with Israel, which he said had “unloaded” right after agreeing to the truce. “They did not have to unload,” he stressed.

“There was one rocket that I guess was fired overboard after the time limit and now Israel is going out. These guys [have] got to calm down,” Trump insisted.

He reiterated that he was “not happy with Iran either,” claiming that Tehran will “will never rebuild its nuclear” capabilities after the US and Israeli strikes.

The US president addressed West Jerusalem in a separate post on his Truth Social platform, writing in all capital letters: “ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!”

In a later post, Trump claimed that “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,” he wrote.

Shortly after that, Iranian news agencies reported that Israel carried out strikes in the western part of the country. ISNA said that there were explosions near the cities of Babol and Babolsar, while Mehr news agency claimed that the projectiles landed in an empty, unpopulated area.

Israeli officials told The Times of Israel that the IDF has carried out “a small strike” against an Iranian radar north of Tehran in response to an earlier attack by Iran.

Ukraine's Poroshenko Warns of 'Full-scale' Russia Invasion

President Poroshenko said there were now 50,000 Ukrainian troops in the east

From BBC Europe

President Petro Poroshenko has told MPs the military must prepare to defend against a possible "full-scale invasion" from Russia, amid a surge of violence in eastern Ukraine.

Russia has denied that its military is involved in Ukraine, but Mr Poroshenko said 9,000 of its troops were deployed.

Clashes involving tanks took place in two areas west of Donetsk on Wednesday

There was a "colossal threat" that large-scale fighting would resume, the president told parliament in Kiev.

The outbreak of violence, in the government-held towns of Maryinka and Krasnohorivka, was among the worst in eastern Ukraine since a ceasefire was signed in Minsk in February.

International monitors from the OSCE said that in the hours before and during the fighting around Maryinka a large amount of heavy weapons was spotted moving towards the contact line in rebel-controlled areas.

Government troops fired shells at rebel-held areas on the outskirts of Donetsk.

Ukraine said it had lost five soldiers in the past 24 hours, while the rebels said 15 people including civilians had been killed.

The separatists denied Ukrainian claims that they launched a major offensive in violation of a truce.

The OSCE said that for more than an hour on Wednesday they had tried to contact separatist leaders to halt the fighting, but they were either "unavailable or did not wish" to speak to the monitors.

Frightened residents of Donetsk flock to bomb shelters, again

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, however, accused the authorities in Kiev of jeopardising the Minsk agreement, by placing it "under the constant threat of disruption" and by refusing to engage in direct dialogue with separatist leaders.

The Kremlin has consistently denied sending serving soldiers across the border, although it has acknowledged that "volunteers" have joined the rebels.

The Kremlin would deny that trees are green and the sky is blue while standing on the edge of a forest on a clear day. Truth has absolutely no value to the Kremlin. 

Just days ago the Kremlin passed a bill forbidding the publication of military casualties in 'peace time'. I suggested then that it was in preparation of a major Russian push into the Ukraine. It appears Mr Poroshenko agrees. Indeed, it appears that the push has already begun as Russia took advantage of the Minsk ceasefire agreement to move weapons into restricted areas.

'Russian bayonets'

In his annual address to parliament, Mr Poroshenko warned of a "colossal threat" from the rising violence.

"Ukraine's military should be ready for a new offensive by the enemy, as well as a full-scale invasion along the entire border with the Russian Federation," he said. "We must be really prepared for this."

A market on the outskirts of rebel-held Donetsk
was shelled as violence surged on Wednesday

More than 6,400 people have been killed in eastern Ukraine since the conflict began in April 2014 when rebels seized large parts of the two eastern regions, following Russia's annexation of the Crimea peninsula.

Mr Poroshenko said Ukraine had 50,000 troops in the east who were able to defend the country.

What he described as the Kremlin's "plan to sow separatism in south-eastern Ukraine" had failed, he added, and only persisted in areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions because of "Russian bayonets".

Putin Says War With Ukraine Unlikely

Good luck Mr Poroshenko, the Russians are Coming!

If this doesn't mean an invasion is imminent, I will be astonished.

Vladimir Putin laid a wreath on Monday at a ceremony for
Russia's Defenders of the Fatherland Day

The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has said war with neighbouring Ukraine is "unlikely", in an interview for Russian television.

Mr Putin also stressed his support for the recent Minsk ceasefire deal as the best way to stabilise eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine says Russian troops have been fighting in Ukraine. Mr Putin repeated denials that this was the case.

Earlier, Ukraine's military said rebel shelling had prevented them withdrawing heavy weapons from the front line.

In his interview - his first extended comments since the ceasefire deal was agreed on 12 February - Mr Putin was asked if there was a real threat of war, given the situation in eastern Ukraine.

"I think that such an apocalyptic scenario is unlikely and I hope this will never happen," he said.

Mr Putin said that if the Minsk agreement was implemented, eastern Ukraine would "gradually stabilise".

"Europe is just as interested in that as Russia. No-one wants conflict on the edge of Europe, especially armed conflict," he said.

Heavy weapons to withdraw, if they can just stop shooting at each other.

Analysis: Sarah Rainsford, BBC News, Moscow
This was a confident Vladimir Putin, fielding soft questions on the Ukraine conflict with ease, even smiles. Russia's president said that in his eyes, the way to peace in Ukraine is clear - the deal struck in Minsk has to be implemented.

He underlined that the agreement had been backed by the UN Security Council - and that matters to Moscow. He was also keen to point out that it devolves more power to eastern parts of Ukraine, currently controlled by Russian-backed rebels.

As for Russia invading Ukraine, President Putin once again shrugged off evidence that he's deployed troops to help the rebels. He said Kiev was claiming that to hide its humiliation at being defeated by former miners and tractor drivers.

He was just as scathing on the issue of Crimea, which Russia annexed last year, advising Ukraine's president to concentrate on saving his country's collapsing economy, instead of vowing to take back that land.

Major destruction in Debaltseve  before withdrawal

The Russian leader also said the Minsk deal had become an "international legal document" following UN Security Council approval of a Russian-drafted resolution endorsing it.

Last week the deal looked in danger of collapsing when rebels captured the strategically important transport hub of Debaltseve.

Both sides have two weeks under the terms of the Minsk deal to pull artillery and tanks out of striking distance, and both agreed at the weekend to begin withdrawing heavy weapons shortly.

But on Monday, the Ukrainian military said rebels had not stopped firing and that it was therefore unable to withdraw heavy weapons.

The rebels, however, were not expected to begin their pullback until after Russia's Defenders of the Fatherland Day, that they were observing on Monday.

The BBC's Paul Adams reports from the self-declared People's Republic of Donetsk that rebels there said they were experiencing less intense fighting than before, with less use of heavy weapons by the Ukrainian army.

But he adds that soldiers and an appreciative crowd were in defiant mood as they listened to a little girl deliver a rousing speech to mark the holiday, calling down God's judgement on the government in Kiev.

Minsk agreement: Key points

Ceasefire from 00:01 on 15 February (22:01 GMT 14 February)
Heavy weapons to be withdrawn within two weeks
All prisoners to be released; amnesty for fighters
Withdrawal of all foreign troops and weapons from Ukrainian territory, disarmament of all illegal groups
Lifting of government restrictions on rebel-held areas
Constitutional reform to enable decentralisation for rebel regions by the end of 2015
Ukraine to control border with Russia if conditions met by the end of 2015

Fighting began in eastern Ukraine in April, a month after Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula.

Nearly 5,700 people have died and at least 1.25 million have fled their homes since the conflict began early last year.

The Ukrainian government, Western leaders and Nato say there is clear evidence that Russia is helping the rebels with heavy weapons and soldiers.

Independent experts echo that accusation while Moscow denies it, insisting that any Russians serving with the rebels are "volunteers".

We just reported on those 'volunteers'.