Trump: Washington to Reduce Annual Security Aid to Israel by $3.8 Billion

US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that Washington would halt the implementation of a 10-year security assistance agreement with Israel, under which Israel was to receive $3.8 billion annually through 2028.

Trump stated that Israel “has no objection” to ending this aid, which began in 2019 during his first term, after the agreement was signed three years earlier under his predecessor, Barack Obama.

Trump emphasized the importance of the relationship between his country and Israel, noting that Israel is “our top priority.” He added, “We provide it with more aid than any other entity, but it no longer needs it... If it still needed it, I would say we should continue providing it.”

The US president attributed his decision partly to criticisms leveled by Democratic Senate candidate Abdul (Abdulrahman) Al-Sayed, who capitalized on public outrage and anti-Israel sentiment in the United States.

Trump told Fox News, “Why should we endure attacks and criticism from extremists like Abdul Al-Sayed when they (Israelis) no longer need this aid?”

Following US media reports that Washington had conducted strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island overnight, Trump told Fox News, “They built an air defense facility... As soon as it was completed, we struck it last night.”

He stressed that the operation was “a limited attack.”

The strikes targeted Qeshm Island, located in the Strait of Hormuz. The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNN, and other media outlets cited unnamed US officials as saying the attacks were defensive.

Iran’s state news agency, IRNA, reported five explosions that shook Qeshm, without specifying their nature.

However, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi spoke of Iran being subjected to “aggression” and affirmed its right to self-defense.