U.S. President Donald Trump told the White House press pool on Monday that the United States and Israel “have gotten along very well” and that his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “obviously a very good one.”
Trump’s responses followed a reporter’s suggestion that he “rebuked” Netanyahu for the Israel Defense Forces’ Dec. 13 strike that killed Ra’ad Sa’ad, a Hamas commander and one of the architects of the terrorist group’s attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
“We wiped out the Iran nuclear threat, and because of that, we were able to make peace in the Middle East,” Trump told reporters. “We’ve had a very good relationship with Israel. We actually have a very good relationship with just about everybody in the Middle East.”
Asked if the IDF strike violated the terms of the ceasefire, the president said, “We’re going to have to see. We’re looking into that.”
According to an Axios report, a senior U.S. official told the outlet that the White House “sent a stern private message” to Netanyahu following Sa’ad’s death.
During the press conference, Trump was also asked if he has confidence in Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa after a “lone ISIS gunman” killed two U.S. service members and a civilian in Syria.
“I do. I mean, this had nothing to do with him,” Trump said. “This is a part of Syria that they really don’t have much control over.”
“He feels very badly about it. He’s working on it; he’s a strong man,” he added. “This had nothing to do with the Syrian government. This had to do with ISIS. The response? They will be hit hard.”
Al-Sharaa sent a condolence letter to Trump on Dec. 14, stating, “Syria unequivocally condemns this attack and reaffirms its commitment to preserving stability and security in Syria and across the region.”
