Israel had to respond to Iranian missiles, ambassador says Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yehiel Leiter, said Israel was compelled to respond to Iran’s missile attacks, adding that no country could accept ballistic missiles striking its territory without retaliation. Speaking to Fox News, Leiter said the discussions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump were friendly and reflected close cooperation between the two allies. Leiter said Trump had called for de-escalation and that Netanyahu took those concerns into account, while maintaining that Israel still needed to respond to the attacks.