Axios reported that US President Donald Trump has asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to retaliate against Iran’s recent missile attack, citing a senior US official and an Israeli source familiar with the conversation.
Later, during a telephonic interview with the Financial Times, Trump asserted that the Israeli Prime Minister will have no option but to accept whatever agreement Washington reaches with Iran, emphasising that the final executive decisions rest with him.
“He won’t have any choice,” Trump said in a phone interview with the Financial Times. Making his position even clearer, Trump added: “I call the shots. I call all the shots. He doesn’t call the shots.”
These sharp remarks from the US President came shortly after Iran fired a barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel, marking the most serious violation yet of the ceasefire that was agreed upon in early April.
Despite the heavy missile bombardment, Trump indicated that he does not want Israel to retaliate.
Prior to his conversation with Netanyahu, Trump told Axios that he planned to urge the Israeli leader not to respond militarily to Iran’s missile attack.
Tehran had previously stated that its missile strike was carried out in response to an Israeli attack in Beirut earlier on Sunday.
According to a senior US official, the Trump administration had not given Israel a “green light” for the Beirut strike.
The official noted that Trump utilised the telephone call with Netanyahu to argue that the current juncture was not the time for further escalation.
“He told Netanyahu to hold off because ‘we are close to doing something good in terms of a deal,'” the official said.