President Donald Trump says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a "war hero" and described himself the same way for ordering U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear sites.
"He's a war hero, 'cause we worked together," Trump told conservative radio host Mark Levin on Tuesday. "He's a war hero. I guess I am too."
He also praised Netanyahu as a "good man" who is "in there fighting."
The U.S. airstrikes were carried out on June 22 against the Iranian nuclear facilities at Natanz, Fordo, and Isfahan, with the president claiming the attacks "wiped out" Iran's nuclear capabilities.
The strikes followed Israel's conflict with Iran that began on June 13, when Israel launched attacks on Iranian military leaders, nuclear scientists, and weapons sites.
Iran responded by firing more than 550 ballistic missiles and around 1,000 drones at Israel, killing 28 people and injuring thousands.
Trump also, during the interview, defended Netanyahu against charges in Israel of bribery, breach of trust, and fraud, calling the case a "witch hunt" and calling for the trial to either be canceled or for Netanyahu to be pardoned.
"You know they're trying to put him in jail on top of everything else, how about that?" he said, referring to Netanyahu as a "warrior" who "could not have been better, sharper, or stronger in his love for the incredible Holy Land."
The trial should be "canceled immediately or a pardon given to a great hero who has done so much for the state," said Trump, adding that the United States will "save Bibi Netanyahu."
Trump, meanwhile, told Levin he has solved seven major wars since becoming president, including "one that no one knows about," but he said that has gone unrecognized as "nobody ever talks about it."
Further, he claimed responsibility for the release of hostages from Gaza.
Hamas continues to hold 49 of the 251 people abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, including the bodies of at least 28 confirmed dead. Some hostages were released during ceasefires brokered under both Trump and former President Joe Biden.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.