WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump launched a sharp attack on Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Sunday, accusing him of being “weak and pathetic” and alleging that he misled him over a potential pardon for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.“He told me many times, more than once, that he would pardon him, and he lied to me,” Trump said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 14, adding that Herzog was “not a leader.”Trump argued that Netanyahu’s ongoing corruption trial was distracting from the war effort, saying the Israeli prime minister should focus on the conflict rather than legal proceedings.“Bibi needs to focus on the war, not on nonsense,” he said.The US president has repeatedly raised the issue, previously describing Herzog as “a weak and useless person” and accusing him of using the pardon matter for political leverage.A senior Israeli official rejected Trump’s claims, saying Herzog had never made such a promise and had instead indicated that any decision would follow established legal procedures.Netanyahu is facing long-running corruption charges linked to alleged favors and benefits received in exchange for regulatory, legislative and diplomatic support to influential businessmen and media figures.On the war with Iran, Trump declined to clarify whether US forces would target or seize Iranian oil and gas infrastructure, saying he could not comment at this stage.WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump launched a sharp attack on Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Sunday, accusing him of being “weak and pathetic” and alleging that he misled him over a potential pardon for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.“He told me many times, more than once, that he would pardon him, and he lied to me,” Trump said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 14, adding that Herzog was “not a leader.”Trump argued that Netanyahu’s ongoing corruption trial was distracting from the war effort, saying the Israeli prime minister should focus on the conflict rather than legal proceedings.“Bibi needs to focus on the war, not on nonsense,” he said.The US president has repeatedly raised the issue, previously describing Herzog as “a weak and useless person” and accusing him of using the pardon matter for political leverage.A senior Israeli official rejected Trump’s claims, saying Herzog had never made such a promise and had instead indicated that any decision would follow established legal procedures.Netanyahu is facing long-running corruption charges linked to alleged favors and benefits received in exchange for regulatory, legislative and diplomatic support to influential businessmen and media figures.On the war with Iran, Trump declined to clarify whether US forces would target or seize Iranian oil and gas infrastructure, saying he could not comment at this stage.
