US President Donald Trump on Saturday shared an article on his social media platform detailing his influence over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s political future, as tensions between the two countries intensify over Tel Aviv‘s military strategy in Lebanon.
“I’ll have to look at who’s running,” Trump told Israeli media in an interview highlighted in the article, titled “Trump holds the cards in Netanyahu’s shaky reelection chances.”
In the article, it notes that while Trump noted he is “most likely” to endorse Netanyahu, he would evaluate potential rivals, such as Naftali Bennett or Gadi Eisenkot.
The move follows Trump’s frequent public rebukes of the Israeli prime minister’s conduct during the regional conflict. He has characterized Tel Aviv’s military approach as “too long,” specifically citing the bombardment of Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, immediately before the signing of a peace memorandum with Iran.
– Strained relations and ‘softer touch’
The US president previously asserted that Washington must keep the Israeli leader “a little bit sane” and urged him to utilize a “softer touch” in Lebanon.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, the relationship has severely deteriorated while the White House seeks a diplomatic exit from the war with Iran.
A senior US administration official familiar with the two leaders’ calls said the discussions often involved the Israeli leader calling for more military action and that Trump was tired of it.
He also reportedly told Netanyahu to “stop blowing up buildings” and in one exchange characterized the prime minister as “crazy.”
The Journal report also alleged that Trump reminded Netanyahu he would be “in prison” without American support, referencing the corruption and bribery charges the Israeli leader currently faces.
