Israel’s latest strikes on Lebanon and Iran have made clear that US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who started the war in lockstep, want different things.
Trump had publicly warned Israel not to strike Beirut in its war with Iran-backed Hezbollah militants. When it did, on Sunday, Iran responded by firing ballistic missiles at Israel for the first time since the April ceasefire. Israel then struck Iran, with which Trump has been engaged in weeks of high-stakes negotiations.
The fighting has since died down, but the differences between the two leaders were likely to persist.
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That is because Trump, whose party faces elections later this year, wants to wind down an unpopular war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to ease fuel prices. Iran has said that a full ceasefire in Lebanon was key to any deal.
Netanyahu, who also faces elections this year, was under pressure to stop Hezbollah’s attacks and prove that he was winning the war with Iran and its allies. He also needs to manage relations with Israel’s most important ally without appearing to kowtow to it.
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When the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, the allies appeared shoulder to shoulder.