President Donald Trump reportedly turned down an Israeli request to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. While Israel saw a moment of opportunity during heightened tensions with Iran, Trump held firm, asking why the U.S. would escalate to such a level when no American lives had been taken. Rather than dragging the country into another endless war in the Middle East, Trump put America’s interests first.
On Sunday, a U.S. official told Fox News that President Trump reportedly vetoed an Israeli plan to assassinate Khamenei because Iran had not killed any Americans yet.
“Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do we're not even talking about going after the political leadership,” a senior U.S. administration official who spoke to Reuters reportedly said.
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However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brushed off reports that Trump rejected an Israeli request to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader. Yet, he did not directly deny anything.
“There’s so many false reports of conversations that never happened,” Netanyahu said. “But I can tell you, I think that we do what we need to do, we'll do what we need to do. And I think the United States knows what is good for the United States.”
This comes after Netanyahu said that Iran targeted him with a missile by launching one through his bedroom window. The Prime Minister claimed that Iran sees both Israel and the United States as the biggest threats to its goal of dominating the Middle East. While Israel has always been a significant barrier, Netanyahu emphasized that President Trump poses a significant challenge to Iran’s ambitions.
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“I'll tell you, they view President Trump as an enormous obstacle. They think that Israel is a very big obstacle, and they're out to get us both," Netanyahu said. "They want to kill him. Look, he's enemy number one. He's a decisive leader. He's. He never took the path that others took to try to bargain with him in a way that is weak.”
Earlier on Saturday, Trump predicted that “Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal.” Pointing to his efforts in de-escalating the conflict between India and Pakistan, the president is confident he could get Israel and Iran to cease hostilities.
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