Trump says Israel would have been 'crushed' without US backing
US President Donald Trump says Israel's security and military position in the region depends heavily on support from the United States, stressing that Tel Aviv would have been "crushed" without American backing.
Speaking about US-Israeli relations on Friday, Trump noted that American assistance has been critical to Israel’s so-called defense capabilities.
"If it weren't for my intervention, Israel would have been crushed," Trump said, adding that Washington provides key military assets, including advanced weapons systems, the Iron Dome air defense network, and B-2 bombers.
Trump also described his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as positive, while emphasizing Washington's influence over Israeli decision-making.
"Netanyahu, who worked well with me, will tell you that we are the ones who have the weapons, we are the ones who have the Iron Dome, and we are the ones who have the B-2 bombers," he said.
The US president claimed that Israel holds him in high regard and would listen to his advice, saying that Washington plays an important role in shaping Israeli actions.
"Israel has a lot of respect for me," Trump said. "But we have to keep him a little bit sensible," he added, referring to Netanyahu.
The comments come as Israel continues its military aggression against Lebanon despite Trump's push to secure a ceasefire between the occupying regime and the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah.
Earlier this month, Trump confirmed that he angrily confronted the Israeli premier during a phone call, saying he was frustrated by the regime’s continued attacks on Lebanon.
Despite a reported ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, which came into effect at 4:00 pm local time on Friday, new Israeli airstrikes were reported in southern Lebanon at the moment the truce was said to begin.
Israeli strikes targeted vast areas in southern and eastern Lebanon on Friday, killing more than 47 people, including women and children.
This comes as, under a Memorandum of Understanding MoU between the US and Iran, the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, must immediately end.
However, Israel, left out of the peace talks, has distanced itself from the US-Iran MoU and continues attacking residential areas in southern and eastern Lebanon.
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