Trump Administration Questions Netanyahu's Iran War Predictions
Tensions have emerged between the Trump administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over unfulfilled predictions on the Iran conflict, even as Trump threatened further strikes if no deal is reached and Netanyahu downplayed any rift.
US Frustration With Netanyahu Over Iran Predictions
Differences between the Trump administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have resurfaced over the Iran conflict, with senior US officials privately expressing frustration over what they described as unfulfilled assurances given by the Israeli prime minister during the war. [1] A senior Trump administration official said Netanyahu had repeatedly made optimistic predictions about the course of the war that ultimately failed to materialise. [1] "Bibi made a bunch of promises about the Iran war that didn't come to pass," a senior administration official told Axios. [1] "But what can we do? He'll come. He'll make his promises and then we'll have to check everything out." [1] The official's comments reflected growing scepticism within the administration over Netanyahu's assessments of the conflict and signalled that Washington intends to independently verify future claims before acting on them. [1] The latest remarks suggest that while Washington and Jerusalem remain close allies, the Trump administration is taking a more cautious approach to Netanyahu's claims and policy requests. [1] The report said the latest friction comes after Trump pursued negotiations to end the Iran conflict through diplomacy, an approach that reportedly did not align with Netanyahu's preferred course of action. [1] Although the two leaders have maintained close ties over the years, their relationship has seen periodic strains. [1] The latest disagreement has emerged after the handling of the Iran conflict, with several senior US officials, including Vice President JD Vance, reportedly questioning Netanyahu's assessments of the war. [1]
Trump Renews Threat of Military Action Against Iran
As the country focuses on bidding farewell to its late supreme leader, President Donald Trump said on Monday that they would either reach a deal with Iran, or “finish the job”, renewing his threat of military action. [3] Indirect US-Iran talks ended last week without any public sign of headway toward a lasting peace, despite a 60-day ceasefire intended to create space for diplomacy following the US and Israeli strikes that triggered the conflict. [3] “We’re either going to make a deal or we’re going to finish the job. OK. And it won’t be tough to finish the job. I’d rather make a deal, because I don’t want to affect 91 million people,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. [3] “We can knock down their bridges in one hour, we can knock out their energy supply…. They don’t have any money now. We haven’t given them any money.” [3] The 60-day ceasefire was intended by Washington to revive diplomacy on stopping Iran developing a nuclear arsenal. [3]
Netanyahu Acknowledges Differences but Plays Down Rift
Separately, speaking to US media on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has acknowledged “differences of opinion” between Washington and Tel Aviv, but denies a deeper rift. [3] “We see eye-to-eye on just about everything,” he said in an interview with Fox News. [3] “My relationship with the president is fine, and we have a way of ironing out our differences as allies who respect each other,” he added. [3] Netanyahu has urged US President Donald Trump to help curb Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's regional influence and avoid supplying advanced weapons systems that could help modernise Turkey's air force. [1] Despite the differences, Netanyahu is expected to visit the White House later this month, where regional security, Iran and broader Middle East policy are likely to feature prominently in discussions. [1]
Israeli Strikes Test Lebanon Ceasefire
Meanwhile, the situation in Lebanon, which was also part of the ceasefire negotiated under the US-Iran agreement, has continued to spiral with Israeli attacks continuing to test the fragile truce. [3] In its latest salvo, Lebanese state media said an Israeli strike on a car in the country’s south on Monday killed four people, including three women. [3] Lebanon’s official National News Agency said a school principal, her mother, a foreign female domestic worker and a male Syrian worker were killed when an Israeli drone targeted their car as they returned from inspecting their family home in Nabatieh al-Fawqa. [3] Israel has kept up intermittent strikes on south Lebanon, particularly in the Nabatieh area, despite the two-week-old truce, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah sites and operatives. [3] A lawmaker for Hezbollah, Ihab Hamade, denounced Monday’s strike as “a heinous crime against civilians” and blamed it “first and foremost” on the Lebanese state. [3] Lebanese authorities say Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed around 4,300 people. [3] The conflict also displaced more than one million people, but according to the United Nations more than 640,000 have returned home since June 22. [3] Meanwhile, Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun said on Monday that Israel’s occupation was preventing the Lebanese army’s deployment to the south. [3] A statement from his office said he emphasised the need to pressure Israel to withdraw because “the occupation undermines the legitimacy of the (Lebanese) state and prevents the army from deploying, and the laying of foundations for achieving a just and lasting peace”. [3] A day earlier, Netanyahu had reiterated that Israel’s military would maintain its presence “as long as necessary in order to protect the residents of the north and all the citizens of Israel”. [3]
Hamas Dissolves Gaza Committee to Advance Ceasefire
The resignation of the head of the Emergency Committee was “carried out in response to the national interest and in order to prevent Israel from making excuses,” Hamas clarified following the announcement of the committee's dissolution on Monday. [4] The terrorist group also announced the transfer of the committee’s powers to the National Committee for Gaza’s administration, clarifying that the committee's dissolution, as well as all preparations for the transfer of administrative power, had been completed. [4] "We took another positive step today to deny Israel's excuses; what was done is another step to prepare the ground for the entry of the technocrats' committee, and now the ball is in the mediators' court," Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem told Al Jazeera. [4] Hamas has fulfilled its obligations, source says. [4] The source added that it is now the responsibility of the guarantor states and the US to implement the agreement, given that Hamas has fulfilled its obligations. [4] “Today, we are putting the ball in the mediators' court so that they will pressure all sides to bring the national committee into the Strip,” he said. [4] “We call on our brothers, the mediators and guarantor countries, to take urgent action and pressure the occupation to stop its attempts to obstruct the implementation of the agreement,” Hamas said in a statement released on Monday. [4] “We also urge them to expedite enabling the National Committee for Gaza Administration to enter the Strip and immediately carry out its duties, thereby thwarting the occupation's plans, strengthening the resilience of our people, and alleviating their suffering.” [4] The terrorist organization also warned against Israel’s “continuous attempts” to “hinder the implementation of the agreement and sabotage its path, and its efforts to impose a reality of administrative vacuum with the aim of deepening the suffering of our steadfast people and thwarting efforts to restore normal life in the Gaza Strip.” [4] A Hamas source told Agence France-Presse that the terrorist group had "decided to dissolve the government committee in Gaza, and that a person accepted by all sides would be appointed to temporarily manage the committee's work." [4] It will become a temporary administrative committee until the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza enters and officially assumes its powers. [4] Additionally, Hamas sources told London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq Al Awsat that the new committee, also known as the "technocrats committee," led by Ali Shaath, would enter the Strip and assume administrative powers. [4] Shaath was named Chief Commissioner of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza in early 2026 by Qatari, Egyptian and Turkish mediators of the Gaza peace plan. [4] However, Palestinians familiar with the matter, as well as a diplomatic source who spoke with The Jerusalem Post, are wary of the move, claiming it won't be enough for a new technocratic government to take over the Strip. [4] Sources from Hamas and Palestinian factions said that a new round of talks is expected to take place in Cairo in the following days with the aim of "narrowing the gaps" surrounding the second stage of the fragile ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip. [4]
NATO Summit and Pakistan's Libya Mediation
NATO leaders are set to announce tens of billions of dollars in defence deals in Ankara on Tuesday ahead of a summit with US President Donald Trump, as European allies seek to boost military spending amid concerns over Russia. [2] NATO partners and allies must continue to “ensure Ukraine gets what it needs” to defend its sovereignty, the military alliance’s Secretary-General Mark Rutte said. [2] Pakistan has quietly begun mediating between Libya’s rival eastern and western power centres, a previously-unreported effort that would further raise Islamabad’s diplomatic profile if it succeeds. [5] The Pakistani involvement comes after observers monitored for months a US-led push to find a diplomatic solution in Libya, which has been split between rival eastern and western administrations since a civil war that broke out in the years after the 2011 Nato-backed uprising toppled Muammar Qadhafi. [5] The move comes on the heels of a separate mediation between the US and Iran this year, where Pakistan has played a central role, and has been repeatedly praised by the Trump administration for its involvement. [5] Reuters cited Pakistani sources as saying that the US was “fully aware and involved” in Islamabad’s Libya role. [5] The effort was also being supported by Saudi Arabia, sources said. [5] Last year, Islamabad struck a mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia. [5] The Pakistani sources said the efforts began late last year, and both Libyan sides requested Islamabad’s involvement. [5] Last month, Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir met Libyan military chief Saddam Haftar in Rawalpindi, which was followed days later by Haftar’s visit to Washington, where he met Secretary of State Marco Rubio. [5] The State Department said in a statement at the time that Rubio welcomed Libyan leaders’ efforts to overcome divisions and reaffirmed US support for Libyan unity. [5]
What to watch next: Netanyahu is expected to visit the White House later this month for talks on Iran and regional policy, a new round of Gaza ceasefire talks is slated for Cairo in the coming days, and NATO allies will unveil defence deals at their summit in Ankara on Tuesday.
