The White House on Wednesday accused Tucker Carlson of spreading “fake news” a day after the controversial right-wing podcaster told an Israeli news station that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dragged the US into the war with Iran.

In a statement to Channel 13, the White House said Carlson “is a low-IQ person who spreads fake news for cheap publicity,” repeating a slur US President Donald Trump has used himself to describe the podcaster.

“Long before he was elected, President Trump has been consistent in his belief that Iran can never be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon,” the statement said. “Israel has always been a great ally to the United States, especially through Operations Midnight Hammer and Epic Fury that obliterated Iran’s nuclear facilities and destroyed their defense industrial base. President Trump took bold, decisive action to protect the American people — something presidents have talked about for 47 years, but only this President has had the courage to address.”

Trump has vociferously denied that Netanyahu talked him into the war.

On Tuesday night, Channel 13 aired an interview with Carlson, in which he was asked about his shift on Trump, whom he formerly supported. Carlson asserted that Netanyahu, Israel supporters in the media, and donors pushed Trump into the war. He also accused Israel of murdering thousands of children in Gaza and entertained the possibility that Israel would try to harm him for his views, while also insisting he has “always liked Israel” and is not an antisemite.

Israel and the US launched their campaign against Iran on February 28 in a bid to destabilize the regime and destroy its nuclear and ballistic missile capacities. Iran responded with missile and drone strikes across the region, including at Israel, as well as by blockading the Strait of Hormuz, choking oil deliveries and rattling the global economy. A fragile........

© The Times of Israel