US President Donald Trump insisted on Sunday that a deal to end the Middle East war was just "hours" away, angrily blaming Israel for delaying its signing with an airstrike on Beirut that drew threats of retaliation from Iran.Trump has pledged that the agreement will be signed Sunday -- his 80th birthday -- while Tehran has declined to offer a clear timeline, though both sides have signalled that diplomatic channels remained open.

Analysts still assume that, despite the continued conflict, a deal will eventually be reached that ends the war and reopens the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump has claimed multiple times in recent weeks that the warring parties have been on the cusp of a deal without anything coming to fruition.