In an interview on Friday, US President Donald Trump said Israel would have been “eviscerated” without his support and described his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “good.” He also remarked that Netanyahu needed to be “kept sane.”
In an interview with Axios, the US President said Israel “does as I say” when asked whether he could prevent the country from launching further attacks on Lebanon. A day later, on Saturday, Israel reportedly violated the ceasefire by carrying out fresh strikes on Lebanon, killing at least five people.
Trump says Israel follows his lead amid Lebanon fighting
During the interview, Trump was asked whether he could influence Israel’s military operations in the region. He replied that he had the ability to do so.
“Yeah, I will be. I mean, they have a lot of respect for me, and they do as I say,” Trump said.
He also spoke about his relationship with Netanyahu, describing it as “good,” while adding that he had to “keep him a little bit sane.”
Trump also referred to past US policy on Iran following the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at ending hostilities in West Asia. He revisited the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and renewed his criticism of the agreement, a stance he has consistently maintained over the years.
Trump claims Israel ‘wouldn’t exist’ without his support
Trump claimed that Israel would not exist today without his actions during his first term in office.
“If it weren’t for me, Israel would not exist today,” he told Axios. Trump argued that his decision to withdraw the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, prevented Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. He claimed that, had the agreement remained in place, Iran would have developed and used a nuclear weapon, leaving Israel unable to survive.
Trump claimed Iran was just a month away from acquiring a nuclear weapon using enriched material and alleged that Tehran intended to use it against Israel.
Referring to last year’s confrontation with Iran, he said Israel “would’ve been gone” if the United States had not carried out strikes using B-2 bombers.
“All that enriched material – they were one month away. It was right there,” Trump said.
He further claimed that, without the strikes, Iran would have obtained a nuclear weapon and used it not only against Israel but also against Saudi Arabia. Trump added that Iran’s missile attacks on Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain during the conflict surprised him, saying the attacks ultimately brought those countries closer to the United States.
“They would’ve had a nuclear weapon. They would’ve used it on Israel. They would’ve used it also in Saudi Arabia… That brought those five countries right into my lap. They were great,” he said.
Israel-Lebanon fighting escalates a day after ceasefire
Trump’s remarks on Israel’s military operations came as Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to a renewed ceasefire aimed at easing tensions along the Lebanon border.
However, just a day after the ceasefire took effect, Israeli strikes hit southern Lebanon on Saturday, killing at least five people.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that Israeli air raids targeted more than a dozen locations across southern Lebanon. It also said Israeli artillery shelled the city of Nabatieh and surrounding areas, which have witnessed some of the heaviest fighting in recent days.