Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Evangelical Christian leaders in Washington on Wednesday, urging them to “stand up and fight” against rising antisemitism while thanking them for their unwavering support of Israel.

Declaring that Jews and Evangelicals are fighting the same battle, Netanyahu warned that both communities are under attack from those seeking to undermine their shared Judeo-Christian values. He also praised Evangelicals for standing with Israel in its struggle against the Iranian axis of evil.

“Stand up. Stand up and don’t cower,” Netanyahu told the gathering. “Fight, fight, fight,” he said, calling on Evangelicals to confront those targeting Israel and the Judeo-Christian world.

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While avoiding direct confrontation with Israel, Iran has continued attacking Gulf states and US military installations.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Israeli officials do not currently expect to become directly involved in the escalating military confrontation between the United States and Iran, even as Washington broadens its campaign against Iranian targets and prepares to strike additional infrastructure and energy facilities.

The United States notified Israel of its plans to widen the operation before US Central Command announced Thursday that it had launched another round of attacks against Iran, extending the campaign into a sixth consecutive night.

Israeli officials assess that Tehran is seeking to avoid opening a front with Israel and is instead concentrating its response on the United States and American interests across the region.

At the same time, officials stressed that the assessment is not a guarantee and that the military remains prepared should the situation change.

“We are ready, and if they make that mistake they will pay a heavy price. Let them come,” an Israeli official said.

Officials said Israel would likely enter the conflict under two circumstances: if Iran launches an attack against Israeli territory or if Washington formally requests Israeli participation in the military campaign. They said neither condition has been met.

While avoiding direct confrontation with Israel, Iran has continued attacking Gulf states and US military installations throughout the Middle East.

Launches were reported toward Jordan and Kuwait, where authorities said 32 drones had been intercepted since Thursday morning.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that American forces struck a communications tower in the strategic port city of Bandar Abbas near the Strait of Hormuz. Another report said seven people were injured in the attack.

Iranian military spokesman Abolfazl Shakarchi warned that further strikes on Iranian infrastructure would broaden the conflict.

“The only way through the region is through the Strait of Hormuz,” he said, adding, “If our infrastructure is attacked, all infrastructure in the region will become our target.”

Meanwhile, the White House said Iran continues to communicate with Washington and “wants a deal,” while accusing Tehran of violating the memorandum of understanding through attacks on Gulf states.

Speaking to Al Arabiya, President Isaac Herzog backed the US response and questioned the prospects for an agreement with Tehran, saying, “With the Iranian pattern of behavior that we know, you cannot make deals with them.”

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Israeli media is now reporting that Zamir made a surprise visit to the United States as part of those talks, accompanied by a small group of senior IDF officers.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel and the United States are intensifying senior-level military coordination as Washington weighs possible action against Iran, with Israeli officials emphasizing that Tehran’s expanding missile capabilities now pose a threat on par with its nuclear program.

According to Kan News, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir held intensive discussions over the weekend with senior American officials amid U.S. preparations for a potential strike on Iran.

Israeli media later reported that Zamir made a surprise visit to the United States as part of those talks, accompanied by a small group of senior IDF officers.

Israeli officials expect the close coordination to continue and say they anticipate advance notice from Washington should military action move forward, allowing time for operational readiness and public messaging.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran is “talking seriously” about a possible deal, even as the United States continues to deploy major military assets to the region. He reiterated that any agreement must eliminate Iran’s nuclear capability, while confirming that a large U.S. fleet is already moving into position.

Israeli security officials warn that the threat from Iran extends beyond the nuclear issue. Senior defense sources say Tehran has significantly expanded its missile array since recent fighting and is now capable of launching large, coordinated salvos.

Any effective response, they argue, would need to target both Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and its missile launch systems. “Israel cannot live with the Iranian missile threat,” one official said.

The stepped-up coordination follows a visit last week by Israeli Military Intelligence chief Shlomi Binder to Washington, where he met with senior officials at the Pentagon, the CIA, and the White House.

According to Ynet, the talks focused heavily on air superiority over Iran, drawing on lessons from Operation “Rising Lion,” during which Israel said it achieved air dominance over parts of western Iran within 48 hours. The report said U.S. officials were impressed by Israel’s planning and intelligence capabilities, viewing the visit as pivotal to deepening coordination as tensions mount.

The developments also follow last weekend’s visit to Israel by U.S. Central Command chief Brad Cooper, who met with Zamir. Kan said the discussions focused on defensive preparations in the event a U.S. strike on Iran triggers ballistic missile fire toward Israel, underscoring the growing emphasis on joint readiness.

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Lawmakers were stunned when Trump urged a pardon for Netanyahu mid-speech.

By World Israel News Staff

President Donald Trump offered effusive praise for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, recalled Washington’s support for Israel throughout its campaign against Hamas, and said that the end of the war would usher in a new era of peace and prosperity in the Middle East during a lengthy speech delivered to the Knesset on Monday afternoon.

Trump addressed Israeli lawmakers following speeches by Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, Netanyahu, and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, joking that the proceedings had gone on so long he would now be late for a conference in Egypt about the future of Gaza, which he had been scheduled to depart for an hour earlier.

The American president praised the steadfastness of the Israeli public during the last two years of war, saying that “only a proud and faithful people could withstand” such a prolonged and intense conflict.

Speaking about the Hamas-led October 7th massacres, Trump called the invasion “one of the most evil and heinous desecrations of innocent life the world has ever seen,” adding that the attack “struck to the core of humanity itself.”

Declaring that the Jewish state had won the war triggered by October 7th, Trump said that “now, at last — not only for Israel, but also for Palestinians and many others — the long and painful nightmare is finally over.”

Trump added that the entire Middle East was united in its desire to see “the disarmament of Hamas,” pledging that “Gaza will no longer be a threat to Israel.” He said that the two years of war, which saw Iran and its proxies greatly weakened, had transformed the region.

Calling this “a very exciting time for Israel,” Trump promised increased trade between the Jewish state and its neighbors, securing prosperity for all.

“There will be routes from Haifa to Beirut, from Jerusalem to Damascus,” he said.

In an unexpected moment, Trump directly addressed Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who was seated nearby, and urged him to pardon Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption. Many lawmakers appeared shocked by the off-the-cuff request, though it was quickly followed by applause.

“Netanyahu was one of the best leaders during wartime,” Trump said, dismissing the charges against the premier. “Cigars and champagne? Who cares?”

At one point, Trump’s speech was interrupted by two lawmakers from the Arab Joint List party – Ayman Odeh and Ofer Cassif – who held up signs reading “Recognize Palestine.”

The two men were swiftly ejected from the Knesset plenum, prompting Trump to quip: “That was efficient.”

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US Ambassador Mike Huckabee described the US-Israel relationship as a partnership rather than a standard alliance, emphasizing shared intelligence, military technology, and close cohesion.

U.S. ambassador Mike Huckabee:

“The United States has allies and it has friends, but Israel is its only real partner.” pic.twitter.com/hdPDoyehzm

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) September 16, 2025

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During the largest-ever visit of U.S. legislators to Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the Israel-U.S. alliance, emphasizing both defensive and economic cooperation.

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Israel gave away Gaza in exchange for peace, but that “didn’t work out” too well, says Trump.

By World Israel News Staff

US President Donald Trump challenged the narrative that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be solved with Israel ceding territory, stressing that the transformation of the Gaza Strip into a terror statelet proves that “land for peace” is not a solution.

“I don’t understand why Israel ever gave it up,” Trump said in a press conference held after he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday.

“Israel owned it. Netanyahu would have never given it up,” he added. “They took ocean-front property and gave it away for peace – how did that work out? Not good.”

Several minutes later in the press conference, Trump once again said that the Gaza Strip “should never have been given away.”

He said that Israel had ceded the territory because “they were promised peace, but that didn’t work out too well because it’s one of the most dangerous pieces of land anywhere in the world.”

After the 2005 disengagement, which saw a complete Israeli withdrawal of Jewish residents and military assets from the Strip, the coastal enclave was taken over by the Hamas terror group.

In the years since, Hamas has repeatedly fired rockets at Israeli communities, as well as coordinated terror attacks targeting Israeli civilians.

The October 7, 2023 massacres were the culmination of years of Hamas planning and intelligence-gathering, which took place virtually unhindered from within the Strip.

Israel has pledged to destroy Hamas and said that the terror group will no longer govern Gaza once the war is over.

Since assuming office, Trump has hinted that the US may recognize Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, paving the way for official Israeli annexation of the region.

Trump insinuated that the announcement would likely be made in March, but it has not yet happened.

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Iran is aggressively advancing its belligerent agenda, disrupting the region as it pursues nuclear capabilities.

By Israel Kasnett, JNS

The Islamic Republic is actively working toward obtaining nuclear capability, Israel is planning an attack strategy, and the United States, finally, under President Donald Trump, is demonstrating it may be willing to use military force to stop the Iranian regime.

This week, the head of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Michael Kurilla, visited Israel for talks with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on regional security issues, the U.S. military said in a statement on Thursday.

Blaise Misztal, vice president for policy at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), told JNS that Iran “must not be allowed to possess the weapons with which to carry out its homicidal agenda: its terrorist proxies must be degraded; its influence around the region rolled back; its nuclear facilities and ballistic missile and drone factories either shuttered or destroyed.”

To this end, the U.S. has now taken the crucial step of placing the military option front and center to pressure Iran into folding.

The Pentagon has reportedly ordered the relocation of at least two Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries and a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile defense system from Asia to the Middle East.

There are also reports of a massive number of U.S. military cargo flights traveling to the Middle East, with dozens of C-17s and several C-5s arriving at Isa Airbase in Bahrain as well as other bases near the Persian Gulf.

Planes are also being delivered to Al Udeid Airbase in Qatar and Djibouti International Airport near Yemen.

The relocation of critical air-defenses such as THAAD and the repositioning of the USS Carl Vinson and its Carrier Strike Group to the Middle East, as well as the deployment of at least six B-2 “Spirit” Long-Range Strategic Stealth Bombers recently to Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, suggest that the United States may be preparing for a major conflict soon with Iran.

However, Yossi Mansharof, an expert on Iran and Shi’ite political Islam at the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy, has a different view.

He told JNS that ending Iran’s nuclear program through military action is “not something the Trump administration is currently aiming for.”

Trump appears to want to exhaust all diplomatic avenues before turning to the military option—or authorizing Israel to do so.

Trump wants Tehran to negotiate and, according to Mansharof, “seeks to bring Iran to a point where the regime understands that the nuclear program not only fails to advance its goals but actually endangers it and Iran’s national security.”

It would be “appropriate” for Trump to set a time limit for the negotiations “in order to give them credibility and compel the Iranian side to take him seriously,” Mansharof said.

That being said, according to Mansharof, “Trump has made it clear that if Iran does not respond to his offer to negotiate, the U.S. itself will attack Iran.”

He added that Trump “would support an Israeli strike against Iran and might even order the U.S. military to join the Israeli attack and carry it out jointly—if he concludes that Tehran is unwilling to make sufficient concessions or is not showing seriousness in the negotiations.”

Mansharof also told JNS he believes Trump wants to make Iran understand that “continuing the current course—progress in the nuclear program, regional entrenchment, sponsoring Iran’s proxy network and developing the missile program—will harm the regime,” and therefore, it would be “in Iran’s own interest to reach an agreement with the U.S. in these three areas.”

According to Misztal, however, the Trump administration “has not explicitly expressed its willingness to back an Israeli strike.

“However,” he added, “the president’s general support for Israel and recent, increasingly bellicose warnings to Iran suggest that he is far more likely than any of his predecessors to not stop the Jewish state from doing whatever it feels is necessary to defend itself against the threat of a nuclear Iran.”

The threat is clear: Iran is aggressively advancing its belligerent agenda, disrupting the region as it pursues nuclear capabilities.

The IAEA report confirms what we already know

The Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) recently analyzed the International Atomic Energy Agency’s quarterly report, dated Feb. 26 and titled “Verification and monitoring in the Islamic Republic of Iran in light of United Nations Security Council resolution 2231 (2015),” including Iran’s compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

In what should be highly concerning, the findings show that Iran “can convert its current stock of 60 percent enriched uranium into 174 kg [384 pounds] of weapon-grade uranium (WGU) in three weeks at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP), enough for seven nuclear weapons, taken as 25 kg [55 pounds] of WGU per weapon.”

Perhaps more worrying is that Iran “could produce its first quantity of 25 kg of WGU in Fordow in less than one week,” according to the findings.

Shockingly, the ISIS analysis notes that Iran’s “total stocks of enriched uranium and its centrifuge capacity at Fordow and the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP) combined are sufficient to make enough WGU for over 10 nuclear weapons in one month and 12-13 in two months.”

In addition, as in several past Iran Non-Proliferation Treaty safeguards reports, the IAEA has been unable to obtain clear answers from Iran regarding the presence of “undeclared nuclear material and/or activities at four sites—Lavisan-Shian, Varamin, Marivan, and Turquzabad.”

The ISIS analysis highlights the IAEA’s “significantly reduced ability to monitor Iran’s complex and growing nuclear program.”

In short, the IAEA report confirms what we already know: Iran is on the march toward nuclearization and the IAEA lacks a clear picture of Iran’s activities.

Iran is developing its ballistic missile program

One could argue that Iran might be enriching uranium but has yet to further develop its nuclear payload delivery system.

But a March 16, 2025, report in The Maritime Executive magazine noted that MV Jairan, owned by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) and the second of two Iranian cargo vessels that are believed to have loaded sodium perchlorate in China, was recently documented passing through the Straits of Malacca en route to Bandar Abbas.

“Sodium perchlorate is the primary feedstock for making ammonium perchlorate, used by Iranian solid-fueled ballistic missiles,” according to the report.

The ship is believed to have been carrying enough sodium perchlorate to refine sufficient ammonium perchlorate to fuel approximately 250 medium-range missiles of the types used by Iran to attack Israel in Operations True Promise-1 and 2—on April 13 and Oct. 1, 2024, respectively.

Current Iranian ballistic projectiles that use ammonium perchlorate include medium-range Kheibar Shekan and Fattah-1 missiles, and the shorter-range Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar missiles.

Regional concerns over striking Iran

If the U.S. and/or Israel do ultimately strike Iran, Mansharof believes the Sunni states in the region “will respond with concern, fearing they might become targets of an Iranian retaliatory strike.”

Iran’s proxies in Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen—now severely weakened—“will limit Iran’s ability to respond to an attack, but it still has the potential to be dangerous,” Mansharof said.

In his view, “guarantees from the Trump administration are necessary” to ensure that the U.S. will safeguard the security of regional Sunni states.

According to Misztal, “the regional response will almost certainly be determined by the effectiveness of any strike on Iran and the forcefulness of the United States in deterring an Iranian retaliation.”

He suggested that “it is possible to imagine another situation like we saw on April 13, 2024: the United States together with international and regional forces acting in concert to warn and defend Israel from Iranian retaliation.”

Now is the time to destroy the Iranian nuclear threat

According to Mansharof, “now is the time to address the Iranian issue at its root. Israel and the U.S. should jointly develop a comprehensive strategy against the Iranian threat in its various components.”

If Tehran is weakened, according to Mansharof, “in both Iraq and Lebanon, voices calling for reconciliation with Israel—currently suppressed by Iran’s proxy network—would gain strength. Without Iran, Saudi Arabia would have no barrier preventing it from joining the Abraham Accords, and the circle of peace in the region would expand significantly.”

Neutralizing the Iranian threat “would also benefit European national security, according to Mansharof.

“The same applies to Africa, where Iran promotes ‘Shi’itization,’ particularly in Nigeria, where it supports the local Islamic movement.”

Mansharof told JNS that weakening Iran “would significantly advance global stability, as there is no continent today where Iran does not operate in some form.”

Misztal told JNS that “after decades of both the United States and Israel vowing to prevent a nuclear Iran, actually doing so would have dramatically beneficial repercussions around the world.”

He seemed to agree with Mansharof, saying that “in the Middle East, it would usher in the potential for a new, peaceful and cooperative region by lifting the Iranian threat that has held the region hostage for at least the last decade, reestablishing Israel as a regional superpower not to be trifled with, and re-opening the path to normalization with Saudi Arabia and others.”

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Netanyahu praised Trump’s “peace through strength” doctrine, saying that Israel shares the same perspective on maintaining a powerful military in order to ensure reginal stability.

By World Israel News Staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth met at the Pentagon on Wednesday, with the two men stressing the importance of military cooperation between Israel and the United States.

“We’re honored to stand alongside you and stare down many of the same threats that you do, and under President Trump’s leadership, just like you, we are totally committed to achieving peace through strength,” Hegseth told Netanyahu, according to a summary of the meeting published by the Department of Defense.

“We are going to continue to grow our defense industrial base,” Hegseth continued, adding that he had been to Israel numerous times and understands the threats facing the Jewish State.

The secretary of defense referenced previous weapons shipments that were delayed by the Biden administration, pledging that Washington would now provide Israel with advanced arms needed for a decisive victory over its enemies.

Some of those munitions include 2,000 pound bombs, which Israel had paid for but were not delivered during Biden’s tenure.

“We’ve supplied munitions that were previously not supplied [and] that are useful in eradicating radical enemies, and we are committed to continuing to do so,” Hegseth said.

“Destroying Hamas’s capabilities in Gaza, Hezbollah’s capabilities in the north, damaging the Houthi infrastructure in Yemen and things that are of great importance to America,” he added.

Netanyahu praised Trump’s “peace through strength” doctrine, saying that Israel shares the same perspective on maintaining a powerful military in order to ensure reginal stability.

“The only way to get peace, and enduring peace, is by being very, very strong,” he said. “And with our alliance and your support, including the decision … of supplying Israel the much-needed tools for our defense, we are a lot stronger than we’ve ever been.”

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Matt Gaetz’s sudden withdrawal from consideration for attorney general in the new Trump administration led to Pam Bondi, Florida’s attorney general, being chosen for the job.

Trump’s new pick for Attorney General, Pam Bondi, said, “Israel is our greatest ally in the world.” pic.twitter.com/QWLaQ9p6Yg

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) November 22, 2024

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