‘Get them out of casinos’: Bannon wants Netanyahu’s son and Gulf royals on Iran front lines
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s son and Arab Gulf royals should be kicked out of the West and put on the front lines of an Iran invasion before the US sends its own troops, Steve Bannon, US President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist, said.
Yair, the 34-year-old son of Israel’s leader, has spent extended periods of time outside Israel since 7 October 2023, even though he is eligible to serve in Israel’s military reserve. According to Ynet News, Yair was living in Miami with his mother, Sara, as of February.
“Netanyahu’s kid down in Miami, turf him out tomorrow. Where’s DHS when we need them? Throw him out. Get him back there. Put a uniform on him. Let’s have him in the first wave,” Bannon said on his podcast War Room, referring to the Department of Homeland Security.
Bannon’s remarks were posted online on Monday after Israel’s Channel 12 news reported that Israel will not send troops to Iran even if the US launches a ground invasion of the country.
Israel is widely understood to have lobbied the US to attack Iran, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio even saying that the US launched its attack because Israel was going to strike regardless and put American troops in danger.
Arab Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, lobbied Trump against attacking Iran, but have been hit by thousands of missile and drone strikes as Tehran retaliates against the US-Israeli war.
Some Gulf states have moved to support the US offensive, which began on 28 February.
Middle East Eye was the first to reveal that Saudi Arabia opened King Fahd Air Base to the US.
The UAE, in particular, has publicly pushed for an aggressive US retaliation against Iran’s seizure of the Strait of Hormuz. The UAE ambassador to the US, Yousef al-Otaiba, rejected “a simple ceasefire” with Iran last week.
'Out of casinos and whore houses in London'
Bannon said any Arab state that wants a US ground invasion should also send troops, tearing into Gulf rulers for living a supposed life of luxury while US troops are prepared to deploy.
“Let’s have the Arabs. I want Arabs,” he said.
“I want UAE…MBZ, who's the best they got over there, and he's got a real army…it’s not huge, but they actually know how to fight. Kharg Island, there’s your objective, go!” Bannon said, referring to UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed.
“And throw in a couple of Qatar princes. Throw in the Saudi princes in there, too. Get them out of London. Get them out of the casinos and whore houses in London,” he said.
"And get them back to the Gulf."
Bannon has long been critical of US interventions. He was the chief adviser to Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, which focused on condemning foreign wars. He served as Trump’s chief strategist during his first administration before resigning in 2017.
This is not the first time Bannon has called out Israel and Gulf states, as he walks a tightrope defending Trump yet channelling populist anger at the US intervention.
"The Israelis are playing games with us. The Arabs are playing games with us. The Europeans are playing games with us. And what are we doing? We're sending troops over there, which is fine. President Trump needs options and alternatives to negotiate around the military Operation Victory,” he said earlier this month.
“I want Arabs at the front, the first wave at Kharg Island, send UAE."
Bannon lobbied against a US attack on Iran in June. He often chastises Israel as a “protectorate” of the US, but has been careful to flatly condemn Trump’s decision to attack Iran.
He previously said that Israel’s bombing campaign is at odds with Trump’s aim to topple the Islamic Republic but keep Iran united.
This article was sourced from Middle East Eye.
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