Trump urges Israelis to reelect Netanyahu, citing Iran

Donald Trump urged Israelis to reelect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, linking his endorsement to unfinished action against Iran, two days before Israel’s October 27 parliamentary election. Netanyahu said Trump was willing to help remove the Iranian threat and that he had instructed Israel’s intelligence service and military to bring down Iran’s government. Trump renewed an endorsement first issued October 18 in a Truth Social post on Sunday, October 25. He called Netanyahu an outstanding wartime leader and wrote that they had to finish the job they started. Trump’s post described Iran’s military and economy as severely weakened and asserted that the country had lost its navy and air force. Those assessments were claims made by Trump, not independently established findings in the reports. Netanyahu presented Trump’s support as a reason for voters to keep him in office. In a televised appearance Sunday night, he said the U.S. president was prepared to take action against Iran, but suggested it depended on Netanyahu remaining prime minister. Netanyahu also said he had instructed Mossad and the Israel Defense Forces to bring down the Iranian regime. The White House said the...