"You will make history." This is how Netanyahu persuaded Trump to wage war on Iran
The Israeli prime minister dismissed what he called "fake news" that Israel was dragging the United States into the conflict, asking, "Does anyone really think that President Trump can be dictated what he should do?"
Less than 48 hours before the start of the war on Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a phone call with US President Donald Trump, during which they discussed the motives for a war that is likely to be long and complex, Reuters reported.
The report said Trump and Netanyahu were aware, through earlier intelligence briefings that week, that Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and a number of his top aides would hold a meeting at his compound in Tehran, but new intelligence indicated that the meeting had been moved forward to Saturday morning instead of overnight, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
According to the sources, Netanyahu believed that the opportunity to target Khamenei may not be repeated, considering that this is also an occasion to respond to what he described as "previous Iranian attempts to assassinate Trump," including a pay-for-pay assassination plot that Tehran reportedly orchestrated in 2024, when Trump was a presidential candidate.
The U.S. Justice Department has accused a Pakistani man of trying to recruit people inside the United States to carry out the plot, a move that was said to have come in response to Washington's assassination of Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, which Tehran has denied.
The sources noted that Trump had tentatively agreed to carry out a military operation against Iran, but remained hesitant about its timing and the circumstances in which the United States might be involved.
On the other hand, Netanyahu pushed for the operation, arguing that Trump could "make history" by contributing to the end of an Iranian leadership that the West has long considered a major adversary, adding that this could push the regime's opponents to take to the streets and oust it.
He also raised the possibility that targeting the Iranian leadership would lead to the emergence of a government more willing to negotiate with Washington, one of the most prominent arguments Netanyahu made during the call.
However, the Israeli prime minister dismissed what he called "fake news" that Israel was dragging the United States into the conflict, asking, "Does anyone really believe that President Trump can be dictated what he should do?"
However, Reuters quotes its sources as saying that Netanyahu did not force Trump to go to war, but played an influential role in pushing the decision, especially by highlighting the opportunity to target an Iranian leadership allegedly involved in the assassination attempts on Trump, which was considered a persuasive factor for the US president.
In early March, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Higgseth hinted that revenge motives were present in the background, saying, "Iran tried to kill President Trump, but he had the last laugh."