President Donald Trump was once again humiliated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the war they started in Iran continued to spiral out of control. After Iran launched a salvo of missile strikes against Israel Sunday, its first attack since the April 8 ceasefire, Trump insisted that he still maintained control of the situation. The U.S. president told Axios that he would instruct Netanyahu to refrain from hitting back against Iran. “I am going to call Bibi right now and tell him not to retaliate. Each of them had their fun. Israel had its strike, and Iran had its strike. We don’t need another one,” Trump said.The president separately told the Financial Times that Israel would have to accept any deal that he made with Iran. “I call all the shots. Netanyahu doesn’t call the shots,” he insisted.Just a few hours later, however, the Israeli Air Force launched a series of strikes against Iran anyway. As Netanyahu continued to do whatever he wanted, Trump quickly crumbled from “I call all the shots” to Please stop shooting!“Israel and Iran must immediately stop ‘shooting.’ President DONALD J. TRUMP,” he wrote on Truth Social early Monday morning. An hour later, Trump spun a new narrative: “Both sides, Israel and Iran, are looking to do an immediate CEASEFIRE! Final negotiations on ‘Peace’ are proceeding, subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way. The Blockade will remain in place, and in full force and effect, until a ‘Final Deal’ is reached. Things should move quickly,” he wrote on Truth Social. Iran said Monday that it would suspend its attacks on Israel but would resume them if Israeli strikes continued against Lebanon—which seems likely. A senior Israeli official said that Israel had halted the strikes against Iran at Trump’s request. It’s clear, however, that Trump was either unable or unwilling to stop Netanyahu from retaliating in the first place.
