Trump Says War Left Iran Militarily Crippled, Defends His Role in Israel Policy
How 2 Israeli newsrooms covered this story — translated into English and compared side by side.
By כיכר השבת
First reported by Behadrei Haredim · Jun 19, 2026
What happened
Donald Trump said the war with Iran has left the country nearly defenseless and ridiculed Democrats for saying otherwise. In an Axios interview, he also claimed influence over Israel’s military actions, commented on Benjamin Netanyahu, and said he tried to prevent an attack on Lebanon. The remarks came as Israel struck more than 80 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and Washington sent Iran a message about avoiding escalation.
- 01Trump said the war left Iran without meaningful air, naval, or air-defense capabilities.
- 02He attacked Democrats for claiming Iran is in better shape than four months ago.
- 03Trump told Axios, “Bibi is fine,” but said, “We had to keep him sane.”
- 04He claimed Israel would follow his orders because “Israel loves me.”
- 05The IDF struck over 80 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon after four Israeli soldiers were killed.
Summary translated & synthesized from the sources below by baba. Read each original for the full report.
Full coverage · 2 outlets
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