“He couldn’t afford a confrontation with Trump, who was the last asset he had left,” a Netanyahu associate told Al-Monitor, describing the prime minister’s struggle to balance pressure for retaliation against Iran with the need to preserve his alliance with the US president.

After Another Exchange of Fire With Iran, Netanyahu's Weakness Is on Full Display. After All, Trump Is Calling the Shots

“I think that Netanyahu was trapped under the claim that he’s serving U.S. interests and doing whatever Trump is telling him and therefore he cannot respond,” one analyst told NBC…