Defying Trump with brief Iran fight, Israel seeks sway over peace talks

In launching renewed strikes on Iran on Monday in apparent open defiance of Donald Trump, Israel has tried to make its case to have a say at the peace negotiating table, where it has so far been kept at arm's length by the U.S. president.



Despite Trump publicly calling for Israel to hold fire, it struck targets in Iran for the first time since a ceasefire in April, after Iran fired missiles at Israel in what Tehran said was retaliation for Israeli strikes on Lebanon's capital.



Israel and Iran both called a halt to the exchange on Monday shortly after Trump told them to stop shooting, although they each left the door open to a possible resumption.



But in launching the strikes, Israel had sent a message to Washington that no final agreement with Iran can be reached if Israel's interests are ignored, said Danny Orbach, a military historian at Israel's Hebrew University.