Trump's 'peacemaker' pledge takes a big hit

On the campaign trail, US President Donald Trump promised to end the world's hottest conflicts and usher in global peace, but nearly five months in, with Israel attacking Iran and bloodshed in Gaza and Ukraine unabated, those hopes are in shambles.

- BLOOMBERG

US ally Israel struck dozens of Iranian targets in a dramatic and multifaceted attack on Thursday that analysts say threatens to eventually spiral into an all-out regional war.

The strikes appear to be a snub to Trump, who had repeatedly pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to attack Iran, though the president himself had threatened to bomb the Gulf nation if nuclear talks failed. "Trumpian diplomacy is one of the first casualties of these attacks," said Brett Bruen, a former foreign policy adviser to Democratic President Barack Obama.

"He has struggled to even get close to a ceasefire (in Gaza), let alone peace in any major conflict. Iran was looking the most promising – and Netanyahu just spoiled it."

The White House, the Israeli embassy in Washington and Iran's UN mission did not immediately respond to requests for comment.