Senior officials in the Trump administration expressed anger Monday evening over briefings circulating from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s circle claiming that Netanyahu had drawn President Donald Trump into going to war with Iran.
The officials said Trump is leading the effort successfully and did not need any prompting.
“He believed it was the right thing to do,” the officials said. “These things are a kind of stab in the back. It sends the wrong message to the Israeli public.”
The officials added angrily that Trump is paying a heavy price for going to war and should not have it portrayed as though Netanyahu pushed him into the campaign. Their remarks come amid polls showing an overwhelming majority of the American public opposes going to war with the Islamic Republic.
“Trump absolutely does not need Bibi and his so-called persuasion to do what is right and good for the world and the Middle East,” the officials said, using Netanyahu’s nickname. “Trump is a true leader. He knows exactly what to do and how to do it and does not need advice or persuasion from anyone. There is no need to mislead the public in Israel.”
There is significant anger toward Netanyahu in Trump’s circle. Only recently, the White House shared a video of former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett praising President Trump.