Israeli Channel 12 reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed with US President Donald Trump the possibility of launching a “second round” of military strikes against Iran in 2026. This was reported by a senior US official and two American sources familiar with the details of the meeting held between them on Monday.
According to the sources, Netanyahu expressed to Trump Israel’s concern about the Iranian regime’s steps to rebuild after the 12-day war that broke out last June. He believed that additional strikes may be necessary to prevent Tehran from rebuilding its capabilities, especially with regard to the nuclear and missile programs.
Although the White House declined to officially comment on the content of the meeting, a US official confirmed that the option of taking military action against Iran was on the table. He pointed out that Trump believes that any Iranian attempt to revive its nuclear program will face a decisive response, while he prefers to reach a new nuclear agreement with Tehran.
The official explained that Trump may be inclined to support a “second round” of strikes if the United States sees that Iran is taking real and verifiable steps to restore its nuclear program. He pointed out that the main dispute lies in determining what is considered a “revival” of the nuclear program, and whether there is an American-Israeli agreement on this definition.
In the same context, Axios quoted US officials as saying that Trump and Netanyahu did not reach any agreement on a timetable or clear understandings regarding the implementation of future military action against Iran.
The report added that Netanyahu raised during the meeting Israel’s concerns about Hezbollah’s efforts to rebuild its arsenal of long-range missiles in Lebanon, in addition to the growing concern about the Iranian missile program, which was a major focus of the talks.
On another level, the talks touched on the Gaza file, where two senior US officials stated that Netanyahu agreed to move to the “second phase” of the ceasefire agreement, despite his reservations, which gave the US administration room to move forward on this path.
Trump pledged to Netanyahu that if Hamas did not abide by the agreement and did not begin to disarm, the United States would allow Israel to take military action against the movement.
Channel 12 stated that Trump is expected to announce in January the transition to the second phase, the establishment of a peace council in Gaza, and the formation of a new technocratic Palestinian government.
