Netanyahu Gambles Close Trump Ties With Fresh Iran Strikes

 Israel's latest strikes on Iran have not only ignited fears of a full-fledged resurgence of war -- they run the risk of damaging the close ties between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump.

Despite Trump's seeming aversion to the prospect of the war reigniting, both Israel and Iran have leaned into the volatile adversity that has long threatened the ceasefire, launching their first exchange since it began in April.

Following Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, Iran responded with a barrage of missiles towards Israel, where some officials in turn called for a relentless response. 

"Tonight Tehran must burn!" demanded firebrand National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

Against the backdrop of US efforts to prevent a retaliation -- and reports of Trump's increasing exasperation with Netanyahu -- the Israeli premier yet again brandished the "right to self-defence".

"When ballistic missiles are launched at civilian population centres... it is difficult to expect a sovereign nation not to respond," Adi Bershadsky, a retired colonel and defence specialist, told AFP.

"I believe there was also some level of understanding or coordination between the parties regarding how events would unfold," Bershadsky said.

The Israeli military said on Monday that its chief of staff was "in close contact" with his US counterpart.

But according to Yaakov Katz, an analyst at the Jewish People Policy Institute, the message being sent to Iran is that even though Trump wants a deal, "Israel acts independently".

Similarly, analyst Michael Horowitz said: "No Israeli leader would have accepted to leave an Iranian attack unanswered. It's as simple as that."

 Elections

"The elections may have played a role, and Netanyahu's adversaries would likely have seized the opportunity if Israel had failed to respond," Horowitz.

Israel is due to hold elections by the end of October.

Arguing for a return to fighting instead of a US-Iran agreement seen as inevitably unfavourable to Israel, both Netanyahu's opponents and his allies have repeatedly reminded him of a statement he made in 2024: "A prime minister in Israel should be able to say no, even to our best friends."

"I am not sure this is the first time Netanyahu bypasses President Trump, but it certainly the first time he does this so publicly," Horowitz said, describing it as "a gamble".

But since they launched the offensive against Iran together on February 28, the two men have been "locked in this war together, and a broader public fallout may be damaging to both -- and both have elections coming in". 

Anna Barsky, a commentator for the newspaper Maariv, believes the Israeli decision "was risky because it might precipitate further Iranian attacks and the possible involvement of other Iranian proxies".

She nonetheless described it as "understandable because restraint in the face of a direct Iranian missile attack would have quickly created a precedent".

For now, the escalation appears contained after both Iran and Netanyahu announced they were reining in hostilities.

The Israeli military has nonetheless pressed on with its strikes on Lebanon, despite Tehran's warnings that continued attacks would precipitate a harsher response. 

"Israel is facing a familiar dilemma: how to maintain its alliance with the US without losing its own ability to act independently," Barsky said. 

"This time that dilemma is playing out when the American president does not speak to Netanyahu as an equal but as a secondary actor... From Israel's point of view, that is precisely the risk."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)