Former President Donald Trump has bravely asserted that he was aware of Israel’s intentions to execute airstrikes of a large order against Iran. This claim comes even as he has previously pushed back against costly military interventions. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump boasted that the recent strikes caught him off guard, saying. He suggested that he knew in advance about forthcoming Israeli military actions. He cautioned that the next attacks planned will be even more vicious. This indicates a very disturbing new level of escalation to the almost 2-year-old conflict.
Thursday, Trump tried to make the Israeli strikes a centerpiece of his strategy. His goal remains to convince Iran to come to the table with diplomatic talks. Despite his protestations to the contrary, he claimed that he did know. He muddied his message when he said, “I didn’t want them going in,” exposing his fraught relationship with the Israeli government. Today, the Israeli security establishment is all but admitting that Trump in fact provided tacit approval for the airstrikes. They characterized this as an unmistakable “green light.”
Trump’s relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been marked by contention, yet he has presented a duality in their dynamic. He casts himself as employing the classic good cop-bad cop routine. In this fragile alliance, Netanyahu is the adult enforcer to their childlike negotiating behavior with Iran. As a matter of fact, Trump’s recent social media posts really underscored this characterization. As he said, “Today is day 61,” which should be a signal that we’re in the long game for military or civilian maneuvers.
In response the former president tweeted his support for such strikes, calling them “wonderful.” This news runs counter to his previous declarations of resistance, changing the narrative significantly. He is supposedly worried that Iranian attacks on Israel would ruin his delicate diplomatic work with Iran. As if that weren’t enough to complicate his position, larding on with another layer of complexity…
In the months leading up to these events, Trump’s administration, too, had worked to increase Israel’s military dominance. Notably, US reports indicate that in recent weeks, they resupplied missiles used by Israel’s Iron Dome anti-air batteries. This relocation emphasizes a deep-seated dedication to undermining Israel’s most vital defense interests. At the same time, Trump pointed to B-2 bombers now deployed at a base once again used in operations against Houthi rebels in Yemen. This shows the U.S. military’s commitment to and preparedness in the region.
While discussing Iran’s response to U.S. pressures, Trump remarked, “I told [Iran] what to do, but they just couldn’t get there.” This comment is a telling window into his ongoing frustration that Iran refuses to negotiate the way he wants them to negotiate.
Critics have already noted that the administration’s late evacuation of non-essential personnel from Iraq showed poor planning and no understanding of the impending crisis. Rosemary Kelanic remarked, “The US started evacuating voluntarily non-essential personnel on Wednesday, barely 24 hours ahead of time, not enough time to really get people out of harm’s way.” This observation underscores idiosyncratic, dangerous gaps in preparedness as tensions continue to rise.
Elliott Abrams, who was Trump’s special representative for Iran when the deal was ditched, said this. He thinks Israel took a very specific bet, counting on the leadership of Trump. “Here’s the thing,” Abrams said, suggesting that Netanyahu and his right-wing government miscalculated and thought they could count on President Trump’s support even when he said otherwise.