Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has claimed that U.S. President Donald Trump was drawn into the Iran war by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In an interview with Channel 4 News, Barak said Netanyahu was dissatisfied with the end of the Gaza war and sought to involve Israel in a new conflict with Iran. He added that while the United States made its own decision to join the war, Netanyahu influenced Trump to abandon his desire to be seen as the 'King of Peace' and instead become the 'Lord of War.'

Barak argued that the Iranian people themselves must ultimately bring down their government by standing up against it. He also stated that whether an attack on Iran was legal or not was less important than the belief that Iran deserved punishment. Warning against a ground war, Barak cautioned that such a move could destabilize the geopolitical balance beyond the Middle East.