Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that he would “absolutely” support additional Israeli strikes on Iranian missile and nuclear facilities.
JNS asked Trump about his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the possibility of the Israeli premier receiving a potential pardon from Israel’s president over an ongoing corruption and bribery probe.
“Israel, with other people, might not exist right now,” Trump told JNS about Netanyahu. “He’s a wartime prime minister. He’s done a phenomenal job. He’s taken Israel through very dangerous period of trauma.”
The U.S. president said that he had talked with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and that a pardon for Israel’s prime minister was “on its way.”
In remarks to reporters, Trump agreed to military action alongside Israel if Iran “will continue with missiles” and nuclear activities.
“Yes, the nuclear: fast.” Trump said. “One will be yes, absolutely. The other we’ll do it immediately.”
It was not clear if Trump meant that he would support a strike under current conditions but suggested that any potential military action would be a response to Iranian actions.
“I hear that Iran is trying to build up again and if they are we’re going to have to knock ‘em down—we’ll knock the hell out of them,” Trump said.
He added that Iran should “make a deal,” but that he would not discuss the overthrow of the regime.
The president and prime minister took questions for about 10 minutes outside the gates of Mar-a-Lago, with Trump saying that the two leaders would discuss five “major subjects,” including Gaza.
“There has to be a disarmament of Hamas,” Trump said.
While Hamas has not disbanded or disarmed in the half of Gaza that it controls and has not returned the body of the final hostage in its custody, Trump said he expects that reconstruction of the enclave under Phase II of his 20-point peace plan would begin “pretty soon.”
