Former President Donald Trump made an unusual attack on the Israeli government Wednesday night, saying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “let us down” by not taking part in the operation that killed an Iranian general in early 2020 – and calling Hezbollah “very smart” hours after a terrorist group based in Lebanon fired missiles at Israeli forces.
During a rally in West Palm Beach, Fla., Trump, 77, blamed Israeli and US government officials for Wednesday’s attack by Iran-backed jihadists, which came days after Hamas militants infiltrated southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing at least 1,300 people — including hundreds of women, children and the elderly.
The former president accused the Biden administration and Israeli officials of publicly showing the weakness of the Jewish state, speculating that the comments encouraged Hezbollah.
“Two nights ago, I was reading all of Biden’s security people, can you imagine, the national defense people, and they said, ‘Yeah, I hope Hezbollah doesn’t attack from the north, because that’s the most vulnerable place,'” Trump said. many people. “I said, ‘Wait a minute.’ You know, Hezbollah is very smart. They are all very smart.”
Trump praised Hezbollah, calling the Iran-backed terror group “very smart” hours after it attacked Israel.DeSantis War Room/X
Hezbollah is a terrorist group funded by Iran and based in Lebanon on Israel’s northern border.
Hamas is a political organization and terrorist group that controls the Gaza Strip — a narrow strip of land located between Israel and Egypt. Members of his Qassam Brigade carried out the attack on Saturday.
Both Hamas and Hezbollah have been designated as terrorist organizations by Israel, the US and other countries around the world.
Trump accused the Biden administration and Israeli officials of showing the weakness of the Jewish state.DeSantis War Room/X
Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential candidate, later claimed that Israeli defense officials made the same mistake.
“They have a minister of national defense or someone saying, ‘I hope Hezbollah doesn’t attack us from the north.’ So the next morning, they attacked,” Trump said.
“They may not do it, but if you hear this cry, you will attack from the north, because he said, ‘That is our weakness,'” the former president said. “Who has heard officers say on television that they hope the enemy does not attack in a certain area?”
Women wave a Palestinian flag during a rally in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza in Beirut, Lebanon, on Oct. 11. 2023. AP
The worst attack on Israel in 50 years: How we got here
2005: Israel unilaterally withdraws from the Gaza Strip three decades after winning the territory from Egypt in the Six-Day War.
2006: The terrorist group Hamas wins Palestinian legislative elections.
2007: Hamas takes control of Gaza in a civil war.
2008: Israel launched a military offensive against Gaza after Palestinian terrorists fired rockets into the city of Sderot.
2023: Hamas launches its biggest attack on Israel in 50 years.
More than 1,300 Israelis have been killed, more than 3,000 injured and at least 100 taken hostage, with the death toll expected to rise after Hamas terrorists fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of militants into Israeli cities.
Hamas terrorists are seen taking women hostage and parading them through the streets in a gruesome video.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced “We are at war” and promised Hamas would pay an “unprecedented price.”
Gaza health officials reported at least 1,400 Palestinians killed and more than 6,000 injured.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Wednesday that Hezbollah fired anti-tank missiles at Israeli military positions, but would not comment on possible casualties.
Hezbollah claimed to have killed and wounded Israeli soldiers in the attack.
In a clip of an interview with Fox News Radio’s “Brian Kilmeade Show” scheduled to air Thursday, Trump lashed out at Netanyahu, saying the leader is not ready to goad Hamas.
A member of Kataib Hezbollah with another man burns a US and Israeli flag with a picture of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman appears during a solidarity protest with the Palestinians in Gaza, in Najaf, Iraq, on Oct. 11. 2023. Reuters
“We have to protect Israel, there is no choice,” Trump said. “And why do we have to do it? [Netanyahu] have been hurt badly by what happened here. He is not ready. He is not ready and Israel is not ready.”
Trump went on to suggest that if he were president, the US would detect and prevent terrorist attacks in Israel.
“And under Trump, they don’t have to be prepared,” he said.
Trump blamed Israeli and US government officials for Wednesday’s attack by an Iran-backed terrorist group. DeSantis/X War Room
During his speech at the Florida rally, Trump vowed to “stand with Israel 100%” and “not let them fail” if he is elected president, moments before recounting the “bad experiences” he had with the country’s leadership while in office.
“When we go out [Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani], Israel and I work as a team. And we know where he is. We know how he got in. We know the plane, we know everything. We worked on it for weeks, for months, actually,” Trump recalled.
“He’s a very bad man, a very smart man, but a very bad man,” Trump said of the Iranian general who was killed during a US airstrike in Iraq in January 2020.
Follow The Post’s coverage of Israel’s war with Hamas
“And Israel is going to do this with us and it’s been planned and worked on for months and now we’re ready to do it. And the night before it happened, I got a call that Israel was not going to participate in this attack,” Trump claimed, adding that “nobody had heard this story before” and joking that it might be classified.
Trump explained that he ordered the strike on Soleimani as well and was not told why Israel allegedly backed off at the last minute, calling Netanyahu’s alleged decision “a terrible thing.”
“But I’ll never forget — I’ll never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down,” Trump said. “That is a very terrible thing.”
A damaged building in the village of Dhayra, southern Lebanon, near the Lebanon-Israel border on Oct. 11. 2023. WAEL HAMZEH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
“And then Bibi tried to take credit for it. That’s all. That doesn’t make me feel too good, but that’s okay,” Trump lamented.
The former president added that Israel must “strengthen themselves” and “up their game” militarily.
Trump’s comments were condemned by one of his rivals, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
“Terrorists have killed at least 1,200 Israelis and 22 Americans and held many more hostages, so it is absurd that anyone, much less someone running for President, would choose now to attack our friend and ally, Israel, let alone praise Hezbollah terrorists as ‘very smart,'” DeSantis tweeted.
“As President, I will stand with Israel and treat terrorists like the trash they are.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
