Hamas Attack: Trump Calls Out Israeli Intel Failure, Recalls How ‘Bibi’ Let Him Down in 2020 – News18

Former US President Donald Trump appeared to voice criticism over Israel’s failure to anticipate the Hamas onslaught that has left 1,200 Israelis dead. During a campaign rally in the state of Florida, Trump stressed the importance of clear intelligence and the need for Israel to be prepared when dealing with formidable adversaries like Iran.

Trump also alleged that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not provide the US with sufficient help during the 2020 assassination of Qassem Soleimani, the former leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force.

Speaking on Israel’s failure to anticipate such a large-scale attack, Trump said, “You talk about the intelligence or you talk about some of the things that went wrong over the last week, they’ve got to straighten it out because they’re fighting potentially a very big force. They’re fighting potentially, Iran.” Trump made these remarks during a campaign rally in West Palm Beach in the wake of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas that has left over 3,000 people dead.

These comments come as Hamas’s surprise attack on Saturday left a total of 1,200 Israelis dead. A similar figure was reported in Gaza following Israel’s sustained campaign of air and artillery strikes on the crowded Palestinian enclave.

Warning Israel to be cautious of Iran in the aftermath of Hamas attack, Trump said, “When they (Israel) have people saying the wrong things, everything they say is being digested by these people because they’re vicious and they’re smart. And boy, are they vicious because nobody’s ever seen the kind of site that we’ve seen.” “They (Israel) cannot play games,” he added. “They’ve got to strengthen themselves up.”

Trump made the comments while recalling the 2020 assassination of Qassem Soleimani, the then-head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force. Trump claimed that Netanyahu refused to provide the US assistance in the killing of Soleimani.

“I’ll never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down. That was a very terrible thing. We were very disappointed, but we did the job ourselves, and it was absolute precision, magnificent, beautiful job,” he said. “Then Bibi tried to take credit for it. That didn’t make me feel too good. But that’s all right”.