Trump says Netanyahu 'let us down' before the 2020 airstrike that killed a top Iranian general
Former President Donald Trump has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of betraying him just before the U.S. killed a top Iranian general in 2020 and is questioning the country's intelligence prowess as it responds to Hamas' deadly attack.
Trump's comments at a West Palm Beach, Florida, rally on Wednesday were quickly denounced by one of Netanyahu's allies, the White House and by several Republican presidential rivals, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Most American leaders, including the Republican presidential contenders, have lined up behind Israel after the Hamas invasion that President Joe Biden said was the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. At least 2,500 people have died on the Israeli and Palestinian sides.
But Trump, the early front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination who has long tried to paint himself as a fierce defender of Israel, offered stark criticism Wednesday night. He told the rally crowd that his prayers were with Israel and again vowed to stand by the country and back efforts to destroy Hamas 바카라 게임 웹사이트 before he went on to describe a 바카라 게임 웹사이트bad experience바카라 게임 웹사이트 with Israel's leaders that he had never shared before.
바카라 게임 웹사이트Israel was going to do this with us, and it was being planned and working on it for months,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he said about the coordination to kill Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran바카라 게임 웹사이트s Quds Force. 바카라 게임 웹사이트We had everything all set to go, and the night before it happened, I got a call that Israel will not be participating in this attack.바카라 게임 웹사이트
바카라 게임 웹사이트Nobody바카라 게임 웹사이트s heard this story before,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Trump said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트They didn바카라 게임 웹사이트t tell us why.바카라 게임 웹사이트
바카라 게임 웹사이트I바카라 게임 웹사이트ll never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he said.
바카라 게임 웹사이트We were disappointed by that. Very disappointed,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트But we did the job ourselves, with absolute precision 바카라 게임 웹사이트 and then Bibi tried to take credit for it.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Trump also pointed to intelligence failures ahead of last weekend's onslaught, which caught Israel by surprise, saying the country had to "strengthen themselves up.바카라 게임 웹사이트
바카라 게임 웹사이트They've got to straighten it out because they're fighting, potentially, a very big force,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트They're going to have to step up their game, and the United States is going to have to step up its game.바카라 게임 웹사이트 He further criticized Israel바카라 게임 웹사이트s defense minister, calling him 바카라 게임 웹사이트this jerk" for warning Hezbollah not to attack Israel from the north.
Netanyahu's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But the government's communications minister, Shlomo Karhi, told Israel's Channel 13 that it was 바카라 게임 웹사이트shameful that a man like that, a former U.S. president, abets propaganda and disseminates things that wound the spirit of Israel바카라 게임 웹사이트s fighters and its citizens.바카라 게임 웹사이트
바카라 게임 웹사이트We don바카라 게임 웹사이트t have to bother with him and the nonsense he spouts,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Karhi said. Asked if Trump바카라 게임 웹사이트s comments make it clear that he can바카라 게임 웹사이트t be relied on, Karhi replied, 바카라 게임 웹사이트Obviously.바카라 게임 웹사이트
While Trump and Netanyahu were close allies during Trump바카라 게임 웹사이트s time in office, the former president turned on the embattled Israel leader after he congratulated then-President-elect Joe Biden for winning the 2020 election while Trump was still trying to overturn the results. In , Trump, according to its author, used an expletive to describe Netanyahu and said he believed the Israeli leader never really wanted to make peace.
Trump's rivals quickly seized on his new comments. DeSantis posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that 바카라 게임 웹사이트it is absurd that anyone, much less someone running for president, would choose now to attack our friend and ally, Israel," and criticized Trump for calling Hezbollah 바카라 게임 웹사이트very smart" in his remarks.
White House spokesman Andrew Bates also said on X, 바카라 게임 웹사이트Calling an Iran-backed terrorist group 바카라 게임 웹사이트smart바카라 게임 웹사이트 - especially at a time like this - is unhinged and sickening." He added, "Why in God바카라 게임 웹사이트s name would any American do that?바카라 게임 웹사이트
Trump, in his remarks, suggested that information about the raid could potentially be classified, though it wasn't immediately clear if that was the case. 바카라 게임 웹사이트They바카라 게임 웹사이트ll say, 바카라 게임 웹사이트Oh it바카라 게임 웹사이트s classified information.' Well, maybe it is, but I don바카라 게임 웹사이트t think so," he said. Trump is currently under federal criminal indictment, accused of hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago club and refusing to return them to the government.
Trump and other Republicans have tried to lay blame on the Biden administration for the Hamas invasion, particularly citing the release of nearly to Iran, a supporter of Hamas. Biden administration officials insist that money has not been spent.
The Democratic president's campaign said Trump has been pushing dangerous misinformation about the crisis in Israel when the countries should stand together.
바카라 게임 웹사이트While Trump continues to lie about his record, President Biden is laser-focused on providing steadfast support for Israel and leading on the global stage,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Biden campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz said.
Trump has long said that he did more to support Israel than any previous president, pointing to his decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.
___
Colvin reported from New York. Associated Press writer Amy Teibel in Jerusalem.
