Trump makes controversial claim about Israel
Former US President Donald Trump claimed that Israel was part of the operational plan to kill Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, but that Benjamin Netanyahu backed out two days before the operation.
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Speaking to American network Fox News, Trump said that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had been an important part of the operation against Soleimani for a long time and that they had worked together on many issues during that process.
ISRAEL WAS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE PLAN
"When we took out Soleimani, Israel was supposed to be doing it with us. Two days before the attack, they said, 'We can't do it.' Then I turned to our own general and asked, 'Can we do this?'
'Yes, we can, sir, it's up to you,' he said. 'Then let's do it,' I said," Trump stated, noting that Netanyahu and Israel were an important part of the plan.
Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike near Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, on January 3, 2020, and tensions between the US and Iran escalated significantly following this attack.