Washington, Jan 19 : Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged US President Donald Trump last week not to carry out a strike on Iran, arguing that Israel is not fully prepared to withstand Tehran’s retaliation, according to The Washington Post, citing an unnamed source close to the White House.
A US official said a major consideration was the lack of a substantial American military presence in the region, which Israel had relied on to help intercept Iran’s ballistic missiles during the 12-day war in June.
The report adds that Trump’s senior advisers believed a strike was imminent as of midweek, but tensions eased after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi sent a text message to Trump’s Middle East adviser, Steve Witkoff, which “helped defuse the situation.”
According to the publication, Netanyahu told Trump that Israel was not prepared to defend itself against a possible retaliatory strike from Iran, especially since the US did not have sufficient forces in the region to help Israel intercept Iranian missiles and drones. Furthermore, Netanyahu believes that the current US plan is not effective enough and will not produce the desired results, the publication said citing one of the prime minister’s advisers.
The phone call between the leaders took place on January 14, when Trump was expected to launch airstrikes against Iran. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Salman also spoke out against the strikes in a phone call with Trump, citing concerns about regional security, Axios noted.
However, due to insufficient military equipment in the region, warnings from allies like Israel and Saudi Arabia, concerns from senior advisers about the consequences and effectiveness of possible strike options, and secret backchannel talks with the Iranians, Trump decided not to order the attack, the publication said.
President Donald Trump on Saturday called for an end to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s 37-year reign.
Separately, President Trump later publicly called for an end to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s 37-year rule, telling Politico that Iran needed “new leadership,” even as nationwide protests appeared to be losing momentum.
In recent weeks, thousands of demonstrators were reportedly killed during unrest across Iran, prompting Trump to repeatedly raise the possibility of US military involvement. At one point, he encouraged Iranians to continue protesting and seize control of institutions, claiming outside assistance was imminent.
However, Trump reversed his stance the following day, stating he had been informed that the violence had subsided. Commenting on potential US military action, he said Khamenei’s restraint in halting mass executions was “the best decision he ever made.”
“The best decision he ever made was not hanging more than 800 people two days ago,” Trump said Saturday, when asked about the size of a possible US military operation in Iran.
Trump’s remarks followed a series of critical posts from Khamenei’s official X account, which accused the US president of fueling instability and bloodshed in Iran. The Iranian leader claimed Trump had falsely portrayed violent factions as representatives of the Iranian people, calling the characterization deeply offensive.
“We find the US President guilty due to the casualties, damages and slander he inflicted upon the Iranian nation,” Khamenei wrote.
In another post, he said Trump had mischaracterised violent groups as representing the Iranian people, calling it “an appalling slander.”
Trump said Tehran’s rulers rely on repression and violence to govern. “What he is guilty of, as the leader of a country, is the complete destruction of the country and the use of violence at levels never seen before,” Trump said. “In order to keep the country functioning, even though that function is a very low level, the leadership should focus on running his country properly, like I do with the United States, and not killing people by the thousands in order to keep control.”
“Leadership is about respect, not fear and death,” Trump added. (UNI)
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