Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly been calling US President Donald Trump every day to push for a resumption of military operations against Iran, even as leaders across the Gulf urge Washington to avoid further escalation and pursue a diplomatic solution.
According to a report by the Financial Times, Netanyahu has been lobbying Trump to launch a renewed offensive against Tehran. The repeated calls have prompted efforts within and outside the White House to counter the Israeli prime minister’s push for another round of military action.
“Netanyahu calls him every day [to urge him to resume the war]. Those who don’t want a war within the White House and outside have been trying to combat that,” a person briefed on the discussions stated Financial Times. Additionally, Netanyahu and Trump spoke last week about their course of action on Iran. US officials who spoke to Axios described the conversation as “frank”.
According to the Axios report, Netanyahu urged Trump to strike Iran immediately after the US midterm election results came in. However, Trump decided to allow negotiations to play out instead of immediately launching another military offensive.
The lobbying comes amid growing concerns among regional leaders that renewed military action could plunge the Middle East into a deeper crisis and trigger a strong Iranian response against neighbouring countries.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are among the leaders who have reportedly spoken to Trump, urging restraint, according to people familiar with the calls.
The leaders fear that further escalation could threaten regional stability and expose their countries to Iranian retaliation. Meanwhile, the US has continued to carry out occasional strikes against Iran. Qeshm Island was reportedly targeted by US missiles on November 3 and November 6.
Trump, without explicitly referring to the November 6 attack, confirmed that Washington had carried out another strike. “We do minor strikes, but they knock out. They built a little bit of an anti-aircraft device, and we knocked it out in about 15 minutes, maybe five,” Trump told reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The renewed push for military action also comes at a politically sensitive time for Netanyahu. The Iran conflict has emerged as one of the key issues cited in the Republican Party’s poor performance in the US midterm elections. In Israel, Netanyahu’s Likud party has also failed to secure a majority following elections, resulting in a political stalemate.
Iran, meanwhile, has warned that it is prepared to retaliate against any fresh attacks. Tehran has threatened to target undersea cables and data centres in the region and expand the conflict beyond the Middle East. Concerns over renewed hostilities have intensified as diplomatic efforts to break the deadlock between the warring sides have struggled for weeks.
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