AP Photo/Evan Vucci
President Donald Trump was reportedly aware of Israel’s plan to attack Iran ahead of time, despite the Trump administration’s insistence on Thursday that it had nothing to do with the strikes, according to Fox News.
According to Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin, chief political anchor Bret Baier “spoke to President Trump by phone tonight following start of airstrikes” and was told that Trump “was aware of the strikes beforehand.”
“There were no surprises, but the US was NOT involved militarily and hopes Iran will return to the negotiating table,” Griffin reported. “Again, the US military was not involved in any way in these strikes, but clearly the administration knew about the Israeli plans in advance and was not surprised.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a statement on Thursday denying that the Trump administration had any involvement in Israel’s attack.
“Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” claimed Rubio. “Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense. President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel.”
After Israel’s strikes on Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported Trump told Netanyahu during a phone call on Monday not to bomb Iran.
