Israel and Turkey in Talks to Avoid Conflict Over Syria
Officials from the two countries met Wednesday in Azerbaijan to begin talks to set up a mechanism to avoid conflict between the Turkish and Israeli militaries in Syria, according to statements from both governments. Israeli National Security Council Director Tzachi Hanegbi led the talks with Turkish officials, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.
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The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
The latest Iran nuclear airstrike assessment
Citing five current and former U.S. officials familiar with the latest assessment, NBC News reported Thursday that Iran's Fordow nuclear enrichment site was mostly destroyed in the U.S. military operation, while two others — Isfahan and Natanz — may have only been set back by months and could resume operations. The Pentagon pushed back on this report. 'The credibility of the Fake News Media is similar to that of the current state of the Iranian nuclear facilities: destroyed, in the dirt, and will take years to recover,' Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement to The Hill's sister network NewsNation. 'President Trump was clear and the American people understand: Iran's nuclear facilities in Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz were completely and totally obliterated,' he added. 'There's no doubt about that.' The White House also pushed back on the latest NBC News report. Reports first surfaced last month, shortly after the U.S. launched its surprise attacks on Tehran's nuclear sites, that U.S. intelligence officials at the Defense Department found that the attacks did not destroy Iran's nuclear infrastructure. The president and his allies forcefully pushed back on that assessment. NBC News reported that American and Israeli leaders have since discussed whether additional strikes on two less-damaged facilities could be necessary if Iran does not restart negotiations on a nuclear deal.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
How Trump can mold the Mideast in his own deal-making image
Just weeks after the US-Israeli victory over Iran, President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu show no signs of resting on their laurels. Indeed, the two leaders appear determined not just to halt Iranian nuclear proliferation, but to fundamentally remake the region for the better. When I served as secretary of state in the first Trump administration, our team recognized that the toxic dynamics of the Middle East could only be reshaped by demonstrating that shared interests can overcome historical grievances and weaken bad actors. Iran, we knew, has been the primary source of bloodshed and instability since the mullahs came to power in 1979. The diminishment of Iran's regional power in recent weeks presents a golden opportunity to build a bright future for the entire region. Right now, the Iranian regime is historically weak — but it won't be licking its wounds forever. We need a comprehensive strategy to keep up the pressure, so that Tehran can never regain its ability to project power and threaten the lives of Americans. We need Israel to win its war against Iran's 'Ring of Fire' proxies and extinguish them for good, to reinforce the futility of cooperating with Iran to other regional powers. And we need a renewed maximum-pressure campaign that uses all available points of leverage to ensure that Iran can pose no further threat to America and our allies. Israel's accomplishments over the past 21 months have been nothing short of extraordinary. Since Hamas — Iran's blood-soaked proxy — launched its barbaric Oct. 7 attacks, Israel has fought a seven-front war against Iran and its terrorist network with remarkable success. Israel is still fighting to destroy Hamas as a military and governing entity, and its victory remains key to the goal of finishing Iran as a regional power. Achieving that goal will open up new avenues for peace and cooperation between Israel and its neighbors. Several Arab nations are reportedly in talks to join the Abraham Accords, a direct result of Israel's military successes and the collapse of Iranian influence. As Iran's clout fades, more nations will see that their future lies in normalization and economic cooperation with Israel — not endless conflict and grievance. Expanding America's maximum-pressure campaign against Tehran is another critical component. This means re-imposing the tough economic sanctions we put in place against the Iranian regime during the first Trump administration, renewing its diplomatic isolation and continuing our willingness to use hard power against Iran and its proxies should they threaten the United States, our allies or our interests. The first iteration of maximum pressure was tremendously successful, slashing billions in revenue the Iranians needed to fund terrorism and their illegal nuclear program. Get opinions and commentary from our columnists Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters With Iran's military infrastructure and proxy forces at their weakest in years, we now have the opportunity to make those gains permanent. There's another pressure point we must exploit: the Iranian people's hunger for freedom. Tehran's theocratic dictatorship rules through lies, fear and brutal oppression because it knows it has zero legitimacy with its own people. The regime is deeply unpopular. It has been gripped by economic crisis and social unrest for years — and only survived the mass pro-democracy protests of 2022 through abject brutality. There are few things the Ayatollah and his cronies fear more than the Iranian people themselves. We should use that fear against them — not by attempting to impose 'regime change' on the country, but by supporting the democratic aspirations of Iran's organized opposition movement. This would provide a powerful source of leverage while we work to neutralize Iran's threat to our national security. And while America is not — and should not be — in the business of attempting to replace Iran's government, we should be prepared for the possibility that this weak and despised regime may someday fall. If and when that happens, it would be in our interest to see pro-democracy forces rise and prevent the emergence of a dangerous power vacuum. The Trump administration can advocate forcefully for the Iranian people on the world stage, and the president can use his unparalleled platform to draw attention to the abuses inflicted upon them by their government. In addition to rhetorical support, Washington should improve our coordination with Iran's democratic opposition, and encourage them to develop a clear plan for a peaceful transition in the event of regime collapse. Thanks to Trump and Netanyahu's bold leadership, a regional transformation may finally be at hand. But this historic opportunity depends upon permanently destroying the Islamic Republic's ability to project power. If America and Israel stay the course, I'm optimistic that we're within striking distance of delivering what once seemed an impossible goal: lasting peace and prosperity to the Middle East. Mike Pompeo was US secretary of state from 2018 to 2021.
Politico
2 hours ago
- Politico
Trump envoy says hostage deal with Hamas is close
'They continue to hold out. Israel continues to kick their ass, and yet they still think they have leverage,' Boehler said. The special envoy also said that were a deal to fall through, it would be because of that hard headedness. Boehler also voiced optimism about the prospect of expanding the Abraham Accords — a series of agreements which saw several Arab countries formally recognize Israel for the first time. Even with Israel's wars across the Middle East in recent years, he said the agreements are holding up, adding that the administration is focused on expanding the agreements. 'The accords that we drove in President Trump's administration the first time, they held strong,' Boehler said. 'It was a totally different Middle East than if we had been in the war years before.' Boehler is the only member of the Trump administration speaking at the annual national security conference this year. Boehler's colleague, Ambassador to Turkey and Syria special envoy Tom Barrack, pulled out of his Friday speaking engagement at the conference at the last minute on Wednesday in light of Israeli strikes against the Syrian capital. More dramatically, the Pentagon on Monday pulled a series of senior military commanders and other Pentagon officials, arguing the conference does not align with the Defense Department's values. A Pentagon spokesperson, Kingsley Wilson, called the officially nonpartisan conference an 'evil den of globalism.' Boehler was not asked about the administration's near-boycott of the event, and he did not bring up the Pentagon's decision to pull its speakers. Asked by a reporter in the audience if the Biden administration should have begun directly negotiating with Hamas earlier in the conflict, he declined to comment. In his response, Boehler also pushed back on the suggestion that the U.S. made 'unilateral' deals with Hamas, saying: 'We always were working with the Israeli side.' Boehler was criticized by supporters of the Israeli government earlier this year for circumventing the Israeli government and negotiating directly with the militant group to secure the release of Edan Alexander, a dual Israeli-American citizen who was taken hostage during the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.
