Driving the news: Gofman meets with CIA Director John Ratcliffe, the sources said. He is also expected to travel to Miami to meet with White House envoy Steve Witkoff, one of the sources said.
- Mossad, the CIA and the White House declined to comment.
State of affairs: Trump has so far rejected Netanyahu’s pressure to return to fighting. The two discussed the war in Iran during a phone call on Nov. 5, according to a U.S. official.
- Instead, the president sided with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to continue the naval blockade and economic pressure campaign against Iran, while testing whether a deal is possible.
- “I could end it immediately. At the request of the nations I seek to protect, we’re doing it a little longer, a little more civilly,” Trump said Thursday.
- “Saudi Arabia has asked me to leave things as they are now for a while, as (Iran) is disintegrating. Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, would all much prefer the waiting period.”
The plot: Netanyahu lost his majority in Parliament after Israel’s October 27 elections.
- His opponent, Gadi Eisenkot, received a mandate to form a new government. We don’t know if he will be able to do it.
- At the same time, Israeli opposition leaders fear that Netanyahu will try to launch an attack on Iran – or provoke Iran into attacking Israel – in order to undermine Eisenkot’s efforts, according to sources. Netanyahu would be removed from power if Eisenkot succeeds.
- On Thursday, Netanyahu met with Eisenkot for two hours and briefed him on the situation with Iran.
- A source close to Eisenkot said she did not believe the current situation required immediate military action against Iran.
What they say: Eisenkot said in a statement Friday that he met with Netanyahu and his military secretary this week and “made clear that I will not allow a lack of oversight” of the prime minister’s actions during the government transition.
- “For me, Israel’s security takes precedence over all other considerations and should never be used as a means of political capital. This is also what I expect from all officials,” Eisenkot said.
Gn world
