Donald Trump has hit out at Israel for "violently lashing out" after attacking an Iranian gas field - before threatening to do it himself.
The President made the assertion on his Truth Social platform, where he said the US "knew nothing" about Israel's attack on the South Pars Gas Field in Iran.
The Israeli strikes triggered the Islamic Republic to target Qatar’s Ras Laffan gas facility on Wednesday, causing significant damage to the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal.
Mr Trump fumed: "Israel, out of anger for what has taken place in the Middle East, has violently lashed out at a major facility known as South Pars Gas Field in Iran."
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He added that Qatar "was in no way, shape, or form, involved with it, nor did it have any idea that it was going to happen".
"Unfortunately, Iran did not know this, or any of the pertinent facts pertaining to the South Pars attack, and unjustifiably and unfairly attacked a portion of Qatar’s LNG Gas facility."
Mr Trump declared: "No more attacks will be made by Israel pertaining to this extremely important and valuable South Pars Field unless Iran unwisely decides to attack a very innocent, in this case, Qatar.
"In which instance the United States of America, with or without the help or consent of Israel, will massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field at an amount of strength and power that Iran has never seen or witnessed before.
Donald Trump hit out at Israel for 'violently lashing out' after attacking an Iranian gas field
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"I do not want to authorize this level of violence and destruction because of the long term implications that it will have on the future of Iran, but if Qatar’s LNG is again attacked, I will not hesitate to do so."
Israel has not publicly claimed responsibility for the South Pars attack.
Though according to the Wall Street Journal and Axios, Mr Trump knew of Israel's plan to attack the Iranian part of the world's largest natural gas deposit in advance and supported it.
Iran shares the South Pars field with Qatar.
Iran had said earlier that Israel struck its facilities in South Pars on Wednesday - then threatened attacks on oil and gas targets throughout the Gulf, going on to launch missiles at Saudi Arabia and smash the Qatari Ras Laffan facility.
Doha rebuked Israel for its "dangerous and irresponsible" attack, then condemned Iran for what it called "a flagrant breach" of international law, expelling two senior Iranian diplomats.
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Mr Kent blamed 'Israel and its powerful American lobby' for provoking the war with Iran
| GETTYThe US President's decision to hit out at the actions of Israeli forces comes after National Counterterrorism Center chief Joe Kent quit over major disagreements with the ongoing war with Iran.
Mr Kent, a former special forces soldier and key Maga ally, blamed “Israel and its powerful American lobby” for provoking the war with Iran.
The former Trump official alleged that Israel built an "echo chamber" to influence the President to go to war with Iran, and accused them of using the "same tactic" to convince the US to go to war with Iraq.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later hit back at Mr Kent's claim that Israel had influence in the decision to strike Iran was "absurd", "insulting", and "laughable".
The US President has been urged by leading voices within the Maga movement - including former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and podcaster Tucker Carlson - to reconsider America's relationship with Israel.
Mr Carlson blasted the war with Iran as 'disgusting and evil'
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Mr Carlson - who has blasted the war with Iran as "disgusting and evil" - was an influential figure within the movement to get Mr Trump elected for a second term in 2024.
He has repeatedly hit out at US-Israeli relations, labelling them as "insane" and claiming the Jewish state is a "liability" rather than an ally.
Younger Republican voters - who proved crucial to the President's election victory - have also been turning against Israel, recent polling has suggested.
According to surveys carried out by the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU), just 31 per cent of Republicans under 45 have a favourable view of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Meanwhile, over half (51 per cent) said they would rather back candidates who support slashing the amount of aid the US gives Israel each year - a stark contrast from their older counterparts.
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