Trump backs Netanyahu after rumors of friction, talks tough on Iran: ‘We’ll knock the hell out of them’

Steven Nelson / NEW YORK POST 

President Trump gave gushing praise to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday — denying reported friction with his counterpart and vowing to “knock the hell out of” Iran if it rebuilds its nuclear program.

“I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are, we’re gonna have to knock them down. We’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them,” Trump said while welcoming Netanyahu to his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla.

“But hopefully that’s not happening. I heard Iran wants to make a deal. They want to make a deal that’s much smarter. You know, they could have made a deal the last time before we went through a big attack on them, and they decided not to make a deal. They wish they made that deal.”

Trump said the men would focus on about five major issues, including the implementation of the Trump-brokered October peace deal in Gaza and Israeli relations with the new Syrian government.The second phase of the peace deal should begin “as quickly as we can,” but “there has to be a disarming of Hamas,” said Trump, amid reported unease among US officials about Netanyahu’s commitment to keeping the deal intact.

Gaza is a “tough neighborhood,” but reconstruction would start “pretty soon,” added Trump, who said “we’re already starting certain things” such as sanitation.

The US president separately said in response to a reporter that he would endorse Israeli airstrikes if Iran continues to develop its ballistic missile technology in the aftermath of Israeli and US airstrikes on nuclear sites in June.

Trump said that his relationship with Netanyahu was strong.

“If they will continue with missiles? Yes. If nuclear, fast. Okay? One will be ‘yes, absolutely,’ the other was, ‘we’ll do it immediately,'” Trump replied.

Trump hailed Netanyahu’s leadership during a press availability and even claimed he had secured from Israeli President Isaac Herzog an agreement to pardon the longtime leader to head off corruption allegations.

“He’s a wartime prime minister who is a hero. How do you not give a pardon? … I spoke to the president, and he tells me it’s on its way,” Trump said.

“The relationship’s been extraordinary. And Bibi is a strong man. He can be very difficult on occasion, but you need a strong man. If you had a weak man, you wouldn’t have Israel right now,” Trump said.

“Israel, with most other leaders, would not exist today. They would not exist, and now they’re stronger than ever.”

Trump said that his relationship with Netanyahu was strong.

“I don’t think it could be better. We just won a big war together,” he said. See video here.