Netanyahu: Israel 'acted alone' against Iran's South Pars gas field
by Darryl Coote · UPIMarch 20 (UPI) -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel "acted alone" in striking Iran's South Pars gas field, an attack that escalated the war in the Middle East and prompted President Donald Trump to declare that the U.S. ally would not target the site again.
Israel attacked the South Pars field on Wednesday. In retaliation, Iran targeted major Persian Gulf energy facilities of U.S. allies, causing damage to Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City and the United Arab Emirates' Bab gas field.
The tit-for-tat strikes have edged the region closer to all-out war while soaring the price of oil, leading Trump to state the United States had known nothing of Israel's plans before it struck the South Pars gas field and to threaten Iran if it attacked Qatar again. He also said Israel would not attack Iranian energy infrastructure unless Iran attacked Qatar again.
Trump's comments and his administration's rationale for entering the war have come under scrutiny after reporting challenged his claim that Washington had no prior knowledge of the South Pars attack, while critics accused the United States of being lured into the war by Israel.
Speaking to reporters in English on Thursday, Netanyahu mostly backed Trump's account, saying "Israel acted alone against the Asaluyeh gas compound," using the name of the nearby Iranian port and industrial complex that is often used as a shorthand for the gas field.
He did not directly address whether Trump or the United States knew of the attack beforehand, but pivoted to state that further attacks would not occur, as the American president had ordered.
"President Trump asked us to hold off on future attacks, and we're holding off," he said.
The press conference was held following reporting, including by CNN, citing U.S. and Israeli officials who said the attack had been conducted in coordination with the United States.
It was also held as accusations mount that the United States was dragged into the war by Israel. After the United States launched initial attacks with Israel on Feb. 28, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that it was a preemptive strike to reduce U.S. casualties and deaths because they knew Israel was going to strike Iran and believed Tehran would retaliate against American forces.
The Trump administration has attempted to thwart the notion that Israel forced the United States into war, with officials repeatedly stating that Trump's decision to attack was not influenced by others.
Netanyahu echoed this sentiment.
"Does anyone really think that someone can tell President Trump what to do? Come on," he said. "President Trump always makes his decision on what he thinks is good for America, and may I add, I think what is also good for future generations."