Israel's Netanyahu warns U.S.: Never 'second guess me again' on Hamas

Israel's Netanyahu warns U.S.: Never 'second guess me again' on Hamas
(Image credit: Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu didn't mince words in a phone call with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro on Friday.

Netanyahu reportedly warned Shapiro that President Barack Obama and his administration was "not to ever second-guess me again," according to sources that spoke on condition of anonymity with The Associated Press.

The phone call came hours after a proposed ceasefire in Gaza quickly crumbled, with one Israeli soldier reportedly taken hostage and two more killed during an attack. While the Obama administration did not blame the abduction on Hamas, officials did say they hold the group responsible for events occurring in the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu told Shapiro he "expected" the U.S., along with the U.N. and other international groups, to help him moving forward with a "strong and swift response," because he knows best how to handle Hamas.

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Sarah Eberspacher

Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.