President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are seemingly at odds amid a U.S. truce with Houthis in Yemen and the President seeking to peacefully negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran without plunging the United States into another endless war.
According to Axios, Trump met with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer in private on Thursday to discuss upcoming nuclear talks with Iran and Israel’s Gaza campaign. Dremer also met with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Trump is expected to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates on Monday, as Steve Witkoff is expected to hold nuclear talks with Iran on Sunday. Trump reportedly does not plan to visit Israel despite efforts by Israeli officials to host Trump for a visit.
This comes as the U.S. entered a cease-fire with the Houthis this week after stopping their threat against global shipping in the Red Sea and deterring Iranian lethal support to the Houthis. This development left Israeli officials “shocked,” according to an unnamed Israeli official.
As The Gateway Pundit reported, Trump announced on Tuesday that the U.S. “will stop the bombing” against the Houthis in Yemen after the Houthis told the U.S. that “they don’t want to fight anymore,” said Trump. Per the truce, neither side will attack the other, including U.S. vessels in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait.
He further teased a major announcement that he will make before he departs for the Middle East next week. “We’re gonna have a very, very big announcement to make, like, as big as it gets,” the President said.
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“The episode raised concerns about the likely limits of Israel’s influence on the U.S. approach to nuclear talks with Iran. Netanyahu is skeptical of diplomacy and wants Trump to consider a military option,” Axios reports.
The Times of Israel further reports that Trump is disappointed with Netanyahu over his push for war, citing Hebrew-language outlet Israel Hayom’s discussion with “senior sources close to the President.”
More from Times of Israel:
According to the Hebrew-language daily, in closed-door conversations Trump said he was going to make progress on his objectives in the Middle East without waiting for Israel.
On a deal with Saudi Arabia, Trump wants Israel to be a central part of an agreement, but “Netanyahu is delaying making the necessary decisions,” writes Israel Hayom’s Ariel Kahana, who interviewed Trump at Mar-A-Lago last year.
Trump is also still upset with Netanyahu and his circle over what he sees as an attempt to push the White House into military action against Iran’s nuclear program, say the sources.
After the Houthi ceasefire announcement, Netanyahu and senior ministers have been emphasizing in recent statements that Israel “can defend itself by itself.”
This also comes as reports suggest that former National Security Advisor Mike Waltz was ousted from his position over a clash with top U.S. officials on potential military action against Iran. According to an unconfirmed report from the Washington Post, an anonymous administration source said Waltz “wanted to take U.S. policy in a direction Trump wasn’t comfortable with because the U.S. hadn’t attempted a diplomatic solution.”
WaPo reported that “Waltz also upset Trump after an Oval Office visit in early February by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, when the national security adviser appeared to share the Israeli leader’s conviction that the time was ripe to strike Iran, two of the people said.”
As The Gateway Pundit reported, Waltz was removed from his post last week after he added anti-Trump editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, to a secure Signal group chat where top Trump administration officials discussed military operations against Iran-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen in March. President Trump announced he will be nominating Waltz to be the next U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations after his ousting as National Security Advisor.
This is a developing story.
The post REPORT: Israeli Officials “Shocked” over Trump’s Houthi Truce – Trump Reportedly Upset with Netanyahu for Trying to Get U.S. involved in Military Conflict with Iran Ahead of Nuclear Talks and Visit to Middle East appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.