‘Come On!’ Netanyahu Shuts Down Claims He ‘Somehow Dragged’ Trump Into War With Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scoffed at what he called “fake news” reports that he “dragged” U.S. President Donald Trump into war with Iran.

During a Thursday press conference on the status of the war, Netanyahu claimed, “Israel and the United States are protecting America, Israel, the entire Middle East — but I venture to say, the entire world,” from the Islamic State.

Netanyahu said in the 20 days since the war began, the U.S.-Israeli coalition has decimated Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, navy, air defenses, and industrial base.

“I can tell you there’s still more work to do, and we’re gonna do it,” he said — seeming to contradict Trump’s contention that there’s “practically nothing left to bomb” in Iran, and that “the war is very complete, pretty much.”

“I want to close these opening remarks with one other fake news, and that is that Israel somehow dragged the U.S. Into a conflict with Iran. Does anyone really think that someone can tell President Trump what to do? Come on. President Trump always makes his decisions on what he thinks is good for America, and may I add, I think what is also good for future generations.”

Netanyahu continued:

It’s been said that for 40 years I’ve been saying that Iran is a danger to Israel and a danger to the world. That is true. You know who else said that? President Trump? Forty-seven years ago, when the Iranian thugs took over the American embassy, he said how dangerous this regime is. In his first term in office he didn’t need any convincing. He said the Iranian nuclear deal was the worst deal that he’d ever seen. And he walked out of it right before his second term.

On Thursday, Trump repeated his admonishment to Netanyahu for striking Iran’s South Pars gas field. Trump also claimed once again that the U.S. knew nothing about the strikes ahead of time that caused an escalation in the war, as Iran hit out at Qatar in retaliation.

“I told him, don’t do that, and he won’t do that,” Trump said of his conversation with Netanyahu. “We didn’t discuss, you know, we do independent, but get along great. It’s coordinated, but on occasion he’ll do something, and if I don’t like it — And so we’re not doing that anymore.”

Watch the clip above via CNN.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!