President Donald Trump asserted he calls the shots in the Iran war and can force Israel to sign a peace deal. Shortly after the President’s remarks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would do whatever is necessary to defend his country.
“He won’t have any choice,” Trump told the Financial Times on Sunday. “I call the shots. I call all the shots. He [Netanyahu] doesn’t call the shots.” Later that day, Netanyahu told Israeli media, “Israel has every right to self-defense, and we will exercise that right whenever necessary.”
The remarks show the growing rift between the two allies as Trump attempts to negotiate an end to the war. Netanyahu has repeatedly undermined Trump’s effort to end the war. After a ceasefire was agreed to in April, Israel ramped up attacks on Lebanon, a violation of the truce.
On Sunday, Israel attacked Beirut. Tehran had previously started strikes on the Lebanese capital, which would cross a red line. Iran responded to the strikes on Beirut by firing missiles at Israel.
After the attack, President Trump said he would call Netanyahu and tell Israel not to respond to Iran. However, Israel bombed Iran hours later.
Last week, Axios reported that the two leaders held a tense call where Trump lashed out at Netanyahu, calling him “f*cking crazy.”
