Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon pivoted his criticism away from President Donald Trump and toward Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu as the president weighs further military action against Iran.
Bannon criticized the Israeli government for pushing Trump to get involved in the goal of ‘regime change’ in Iran and trying to manipulate the American people into support of further military strikes in Iran.
‘Who in the hell are you to lecture the American people? Who are you to lecture the American people?’ Bannon said angrily on his War Room podcast.
He demanded that Netanyahu do more to ‘finish the job’ to destroy Iran’s nuclear capacities.
‘The American people are not going to tolerate it. Not going to put up with it. Who are you to jam us into this situation which you knew you couldn’t finish the job, or if you can, go finish it!’ he announced.
In recent days, Netanyahu has pressed Trump and his MAGA allies for more support, speaking to the media about the importance of getting the United States further involved with the war against the ‘evil’ in Iran.
‘Today, it’s Tel Aviv. Tomorrow, it’s New York. Look, I understand “America First” I don’t understand “America Dead,”‘ he said on ABC News on Sunday.
Bannon said that it was the Israeli’s responsibly to conclude the war, and expressed frustration that they had no problem starting the conflict.
Former Chief Strategist to the President Steve Bannon
In a video statement released earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel has launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat
‘Go finish it! Quit coming to us to finish it. President Trump may come to that conclusion, but it’s not something he would just say… “Oh yeah, let’s go bomb ’em and take care of it,”‘ he said.
‘He’s going to do it because he’s got to weigh the options now that you’ve gotten us into it. That’s reality. That’s the truth. That’s exactly where we are and people should be truthful with each other, particularly in these tough decisions,’ he said.
‘That’s what allies do. Allies don’t manipulate and don’t inextricably draw people into situations of which the other party has to get them out of,’ he continued.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei addresses the nation in a state television broadcast
President Donald Trump continues to weigh his options as military strikes on Iran continue
On his show, Bannon questioned the timing of the military strikes on Iran, asking the Israelis why it had to be now.
He demanded Netanyahu show their intelligence that proved the Iranians were on the cusp of obtaining a nuclear weapon.
‘Why did you start something that you couldn’t finish?’ he asked.
Bannon told his viewers that Trump was facing enormous pressure to get involved in the war.
‘The pressure on President Trump is coming from the outside and it’s coming from people who are not straight with him,’ he said.
He conceded that Trump could conclude that military action was necessary but that it was important to detail the reasons why they had to do it.
‘We have enough faith in President Trump and his judgement that he will come to the right conclusion, but we have to get all the cards on the table,’ he concluded.
