“‘I’ll never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down. That was a very terrible thing.’ ”
That’s former President Donald Trump speaking about his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — and specifically his assertion that Netanyahu, known by the nickname Bibi, failed to support the United States in the 2020 drone strike that resulted in the death of Qassem Soleimani, leader of the foreign wing of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Soleimani had been described as the most powerful operative in the Middle East.
Trump, the leading Republican contender in the 2024 presidential race, delivered his comments Wednesday night at a West Palm Beach, Fla., gathering of supporters. The comment was among his first noteworthy remarks about the situation in Israel since the weekend surprise attack by Hamas, the militant group that governs Gaza.
Trump said that Israel was set to assist with the 2020 strike, adding that the plan had been in the works for months. But Trump said he was notified the night before that Israel would “not be participating,” much to his displeasure. After consulting with U.S. military officials, Trump said he decided to go ahead with the strike.
Trump added that he hadn’t divulged this information previously.
“Nobody’s heard this story before,” he said, explaining that he chose to share it with Club 47, a key group of his supporters that hosted Wednesday’s event, “because you’ve been so loyal and so beautiful.”
Also see: Trump tells Florida audience Hezbollah is ‘very smart’ and suggests U.S. and Israel share blame for Hamas and Hezbollah attacks
That Trump chose to share a story critical of Netanyahu at this moment immediately became a talking point on social media.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a rival for the Republican presidential nomination, said on X, the social platform formerly known as Twitter, that “it is absurd that anyone, much less someone running for President, would choose now to attack our friend and ally, Israel.”
In his remarks at the Wednesday event, Trump also said that under a future presidential administration of his, the “United States will fully support Israel, defeating, dismantling and permanently destroying the terrorist group Hamas.”
In other comments, Trump complained about the sound system at the Wednesday event.
“This is the worst microphone I think I ever had,” he said, adding, “Don’t pay the bill for this mic.”
Read on: Netanyahu praises Blinken in Tel Aviv over ‘unequivocable’ demonstration of U.S. support for Israel
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