Trump warns Netanyahu Israel could face Iran alone if escalation continues
Trump said Netanyahu needed to be "careful" about his next steps to avoid a broader conflict, underscoring concerns in Washington that the exchange of attacks between Israel and Iran could escalate into a full-scale war
US President Donald Trump warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel could be "left alone against Iran very soon" if the current cycle of military escalation continues, according to comments Trump made in an interview with Israel's Channel 12.
Trump said Netanyahu needed to be "careful" about his next steps to avoid a broader conflict, underscoring concerns in Washington that the exchange of attacks between Israel and Iran could escalate into a full-scale war, says the BBC.
The remarks highlighted growing tensions between the two leaders over Israel's military response to Iran.
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Trump had explicitly asked Netanyahu on Sunday not to strike Iran in retaliation for attacks launched after Israel's strike on Beirut. However, a discussion between the two leaders ended without an agreement.
The disagreement was compounded by what was described as a lack of co-ordination between Washington and Jerusalem. Netanyahu did not inform Trump of his final decision to proceed with the strike until a very late stage in the planning process. Instead, he eventually communicated the decision to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Despite the initial disagreement, Trump told Channel 12 that he was ultimately able to "reduce the scale" of the Israeli attack on Iran.
He saidhis primary objective was to prevent the ongoing exchange of fire from deteriorating into a full-scale war.
Trump also told Axios he received calls from five different countries in the region asking him to press Netanyahu to stop.
"These countries were very concerned. They love the deal that we have been negotiating," Trump said.
