Trump and Netanyahu have formed a convenient coalition. Behind it are clear divisions

March 22, 2026 — 2:30pm

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Friction is a characteristic of war, and the military coalitions that prosecute them are not immune from its effects. National priorities and rules of engagement may impact targeting considerations, risk acceptance or the willingness to conduct certain tasks. But the nations that join together to fight wars generally agree on what the strategic aim of the conflict is.

What has been noteworthy about the US-Israeli coalition prosecuting their war against Iran, has been the increasingly public differences between the objectives they are both pursuing. The US Secretary of War Peter Hegseth, when asked about Israel’s targeting of oil storage facilities near Iran’s capital that unleashed a large and dense pall of smoke over Tehran said that “Where they [Israel] have different objectives, they’ve pursued them. Ultimately, we’ve stayed focused on ours.”

Later, after Israel targeted Iran’s South Pars gas field resulting in a retaliatory strike against Qatari energy infrastructure, US President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform to say that he knew nothing about the attack and “No more attacks will........

© Brisbane Times