Vance says Netanyahu has “certainly gotten some things wrong”

Vice President JD Vance said the interests of the U.S. and Israel are not always in sync as President Trump’s relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been tested over the Iran war.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu, look, he governs a country that has obviously been a very close partner of the United States. But, even when we’ve been close partners, sometimes we have interests that are perfectly aligned and sometimes we have interests that are misaligned,” Vance told Robert Costa in an interview airing this week on “CBS Sunday Morning.”

Vance described Netanyahu as a leader who “aggressively asserts the interests of his country” but said Mr. Trump “has been very clear about what is in our best interest.”

“Sometimes that means we’re on the same page and sometimes it means that we’re not,” Vance said, adding that “where that diverges, we, unfortunately for the Israelis, have to choose the side of the American people, which we always do.”

Asked whether Netanyahu has made any mistakes in how he’s approached his relationship with the U.S. on Iran, Vance said, “he’s certainly gotten some things wrong.”

Vance declined to give examples, saying those conversations “are better left in private.”

“But what I would say is that he’s been a good partner,” Vance said. “We’re gonna keep on working together. But where interests diverge, the United States is gonna pursue the best interests of our nation, and that’s how it’s gonna be.”

In recent weeks, Mr. Trump has spoken publicly about the need for Netanyahu to understand the president’s push to drive the negotiations with Iran himself.

Israel launched airstrikes on Beirut over the weekend, which led to Iran retaliating with its own strike on Israel.