Trump's "Peacemaking" Behind the Scenes: Netanyahu Needs the War to Continue, While Trump Does the Opposite

According to Axios, Trump has been trying to avoid a full-scale resumption of the war over the past 24 hours. He finds himself in a dilemma: on one hand, he understands that Netanyahu can hardly ignore the missile attack from Iran; on the other hand, he fears that this cycle of retaliation could escalate into a full-blown war. Netanyahu's logic is that if there is no retaliation against Iran, it will send a signal to the outside world that Iran has the upper hand and can deter the US and Israel from taking military action. At the end of the call in which Trump urged Netanyahu not to retaliate, the latter did not make a clear decision. Some US officials involved in the call believe that Trump has successfully bought more time. However, Netanyahu believes that although Trump opposes retaliatory strikes, "it was not a clear 'do not do this' statement." Sources from the US and Israel say that the events of the past 24 hours further prove that the strategic interests of the US and Israel, as well as the political interests of Trump and Netanyahu, are increasingly diverging. A US official said: "Netanyahu needs the war to continue in order to maintain his political life in Israel; Trump needs the war to end in order to maintain his political life in the US." (Jinshi)