US President Donald Trump rushed to claim credit for Benjamin Netanyahu's election performance even before it became clear whether the Israeli prime minister could form a government, Israeli media reported, in what analysts see as a message that the man who helped keep him in the game may also get to set the rules.
Trump wants an Israeli government that advances his Middle East ambitions — from Gaza to Syria and Lebanon — even if that means sidelining far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
He has publicly endorsed Netanyahu and claimed his support helped turn the tide. But Washington's frustration with Netanyahu's government has been building for months, with Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner unhappy with the pace of the Gaza plan, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio concerned about Jewish extremist violence in the West Bank and efforts to strengthen the Lebanese government.
Trump has demanded Netanyahu begin withdrawing Israeli troops from Syria, telling him: "They don't want you there. You should redeploy," according to a US official. He has also criticised Israel's conduct in Lebanon, saying in June: "You can do a little softer touch, Bibi. You don't have to knock down a building every time somebody walks into it that's from Hezbollah."
Trump has previously told Netanyahu in blunt terms during a confrontation over Israeli strikes in Lebanon: "You'd be in prison if it weren't for me. I'm saving your ass," Axios reported.
The analysis suggests Trump is not merely Netanyahu's friend but someone who believes Netanyahu owes him, and that he now expects to influence Israeli policy on Iran, Gaza, Lebanon and Syria in return.
