Israel Conducts Limited Strikes on Iran Then Pulls Back After Trump-Netanyahu Disagreement

President Donald Trump publicly told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to retaliate against Iran, yet Israel struck Iranian targets on Sunday. The action came after an expletive-filled call between the two leaders earlier in June and reopened a visible rift between Washington and Jerusalem. Trump asserted that he calls the shots.

Netanyahu responded that Israel retains every right to self-defense. The United States and Israel attempted to smooth over the public disagreement on Monday, and Israel pulled back for now from a broader attack, Axios reported. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said coordination should be the pattern going forward.

“Hopefully there’ll be coordination … generally, my experience is that that’s talked through and worked out in advance of that sort of [military] action,” Thune stated. Sen. Joni Ernst said Trump wants to do the right thing for the United States.

“It’s always America First,” Ernst said. ” Sen. Tommy Tuberville compared the two leaders to “two brothers fighting all the time” and added that Netanyahu “needs us; you know they do. ” Rep. Kevin Kiley said national interests come first.

“Coordination has been vital,” Kiley stated. ” Sen. John Cornyn said controlling another country’s leader is unrealistic. “It’s always better when we are together, because we’re allies against a common adversary,” Cornyn said.

Rep. Don Bacon said Iran deserves a response. “They deserve to be punched in the nose,” Bacon stated. ” Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she is not worried that a single statement signals a huge rift. “Do we really think that we’ve been 100% in alignment with Israel all throughout this?

No,” Murkowski said. ” Israel has clashed with Iran and the Lebanese government for decades, long before Hezbollah’s rise inside Lebanon. Democrats soured on Netanyahu over the past three years during the Gaza campaign, while Republicans sought closer ties.

Neither the White House nor the Israeli embassy returned a request for comment. m. EDT; Shelby Talcott contributed.