In light of the escalating tension between Washington and Tel Aviv against the backdrop of the Israeli raid on the southern suburb of Beirut, Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir sent a message of support to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling on him not to back down.
Ben Gvir wrote through his account on the “X” platform: “Mr. Prime Minister, be strong and courageous, do not be afraid and do not retreat.”
Ben Gvir’s message came after the Israeli Channel 12 revealed that US President Donald Trump spoke about Netanyahu in an unprecedented tone publicly.
Trump told the channel that he conveyed a direct message to Netanyahu in which he expressed his complete dissatisfaction with the attack carried out by Israel in Beirut.
Trump added: “Why did Bibi carry out this attack? Hezbollah opened fire and hit an area in the middle of nowhere, and no one was hurt. Then he had to carry out this damned attack, and on top of that in Beirut. That made me very angry.”
He continued: “They called me and said: Sir, Israel is attacking Beirut, an hour before we were supposed to sign the agreement… I could not believe this was happening… This is a very bad thing.”
Trump also said: “Bibi does not have any good judgment in making the decision,” stressing that he had clearly conveyed this message to him and that he was not at all satisfied with the attack.
These statements come after the Israeli raid that targeted the southern suburb of Beirut on Sunday morning, which Israel said came in response to the launching of drones towards northern Israel.
According to Israeli media, the raid targeted an official in Hezbollah’s Liaison and Coordination Unit, while it coincided with Iranian threats to respond to the attack.
