The reaction from most U.S. allies to President Trump's order to kill Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani ranged from tepid to downright frosty, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "stood out in emphatically cheering the Soleimani operation," The Washington Post reports. Netanyahu praised Trump for "acting swiftly, forcefully, and decisively," and said "Israel stands with the United States in its just struggle for peace, security, and self-defense."
But that's as far as Netanyahu was willing to go, or let his Cabinet go, and in private, he pointedly washed his hands of Soleimani's death, Barak Ravid reports at Axios, citing two ministers who attended a Security Cabinet meeting Monday. "Netanyahu told ministers that the only thing they can say to the media if they are asked about the Soleimani killing is that Israel supports the U.S. and its right to defend itself," and the prime minister himself said Israel should not get "dragged into" what's exclusively a U.S. operation.
"Like other countries in the region, Israel is concerned that Iran will retaliate against it in order to avenge the killing of Soleimani," Ravid says, adding that the Mossad chief and the head of military intelligence told Netanyahu's Cabinet Monday that Israel's low profile after Soleimani's killing has reduced the chance of Iranian retribution.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized other U.S. allies for not embracing the drone hit. "The Brits, the French, the Germans all need to understand that what we did — what the Americans did — saved lives in Europe as well," he told Fox News Sunday. But Germany and Slovakia said Monday that they have at least temporarily moved some of the military personnel from Iraq out of concerns over Iranian reprisals, Reuters reports.
-
Pipe bombs: The end of a conspiracy theory?Feature Despite Bongino and Bondi’s attempt at truth-telling, the MAGAverse is still convinced the Deep State is responsible
-
The robot revolutionFeature Advances in tech and AI are producing android machine workers. What will that mean for humans?
-
Health: Will Kennedy dismantle U.S. immunization policy?Feature ‘America’s vaccine playbook is being rewritten by people who don’t believe in them’
-
The issue dividing Israel: ultra-Orthodox draft dodgersIn the Spotlight A new bill has solidified the community’s ‘draft evasion’ stance, with this issue becoming the country’s ‘greatest internal security threat’
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million
-
US seizes oil tanker off VenezuelaSpeed Read The seizure was a significant escalation in the pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
-
Judge orders release of Ghislaine Maxwell recordsSpeed Read The grand jury records from the 2019 prosecution of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be made public
