Anna Hartz
Trump Claims Credit for Iran Airstrikes, Labels Netanyahu a Hero
War and military decisions have always shaped global politics. Leaders often face tough choices, and airstrikes or military actions grab headlines.
Recently, US President Donald Trump spoke about his own role in military operations, drawing attention and controversy.
A “War Hero”?
On Tuesday, Trump called himself a “war hero” during an interview on conservative radio host Mark Levin’s show, according to Digi24.
He also described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “war hero,” saying they worked together on military actions. “He’s a war hero. I think I am too,” Trump said. “Nobody cares. But I am too. I mean, I sent those planes.”
Under Arrest Warrant
Trump appeared to refer to the airstrikes he ordered in June on Iran’s underground nuclear facilities. The strikes aimed to slow or destroy Iran’s nuclear program.
Netanyahu has been under an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court since last November for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza during the Israeli military offensive that followed Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. That attack left around 1,200 Israelis dead.
Never Served in the Military
Trump has never served in the military. He received five deferments from the Vietnam War draft. One was a medical exemption after he was diagnosed with a bone spur in his heel at age 22.
His lack of military service has been a point of controversy for years. In 2015, he claimed that Senator
Denies Making Disrespectful Remarks
John McCain, who spent over five years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam, was “not a war hero” because McCain “likes people who weren’t captured.”
In 2020, The Atlantic reported that Trump privately called deceased servicemen “losers” and “suckers,” though he denied making the remarks.
His recent comments about Netanyahu and himself have reignited discussions about what it really means to be a war hero.
Cannot Compare
Critics argue that ordering airstrikes does not compare to serving on the battlefield. Supporters say leadership decisions in conflicts are part of a president’s duty.
Trump’s words once again stirred debate over military service, heroism, and how history remembers leaders who direct wars from a desk rather than from combat zones.
The comments are likely to continue drawing attention, especially given the ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
