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Ya Libnan
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
How Trump, a self-proclaimed 'peacemaker,' embraced Israel's campaign against Iran
By Gram Slattery , Phil Stewart , Steve Holland and Jonathan Landay WASHINGTON- Roughly one month ago, from the stage at an investment forum in Saudi Arabia, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a warning to Iran that would prove prophetic. 'We'll never allow America and its allies to be threatened with terrorism or nuclear attack,' Trump told the crowd, sending a message to the leadership in Tehran. 'The time is right now for them to choose. Right now. We don't have a lot of time to wait. Things are happening at a very fast pace.' That May 13 ultimatum received little attention at the time. But behind the scenes, the president already knew an attack on Iran could be imminent – and that there might be little he could do to stop it, according to two U.S. officials. By mid-May, the Pentagon had begun drawing up detailed contingency plans to aid Israel if it followed through on its long-held ambition to strike Iran's nuclear program, the officials said. And the U.S. had already diverted thousands of defensive weapons away from war-torn Ukraine toward the Middle East in preparation for potential conflict, according to a Western source familiar with the matter and a Ukrainian source. The Pentagon declined to comment for this story. This account of the weeks and days leading up to Trump's decision to throw his support behind Israel's bombing campaign is based on interviews with over a dozen administration officials, foreign diplomats and Trump confidantes, most of whom spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations. The picture that emerges is that of a long, secretive preparation process and a president who for weeks found himself torn between diplomacy and supporting military action – and was ultimately persuaded in part by an ally whose actions he did not fully control. While Trump has long described himself as a peacemaker – dispatching Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to the region several times to try to seal a diplomatic accord – he had several trusted political allies pushing him to back an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. And U.S. intelligence had indicated a unilateral Israeli strike was possible, even likely, even if Trump wanted to wait, according to two U.S. officials. While it is unclear if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or Trump's more hawkish allies ever got him to a 'yes' to Israel's plans, by the days leading up the strike he was at least not a 'no,' according to two senior U.S. officials and a senior Israeli source. That stance, people familiar with the dynamics said, helped tip Israel into action. Seven days into the Israel-Iran conflict, Trump is left with a dilemma, said Aaron David Miller, a veteran diplomat who has advised six secretaries of state on Middle East policy. He can try again to pursue a diplomatic resolution with Iran, allow Iran and Israel 'to fight it out,' or he can enter the war with U.S. airstrikes on the deeply buried Fordow enrichment plant, a step that would have unknown consequences for the region. Trump 'let it (the Israeli attack) happen,' said Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace policy institute. 'He got on the tiger and he's riding it.' The White House on Thursday said that Trump will make a decision on whether the U.S. will get involved in the conflict in the next two weeks. The White House, the Israeli prime minister's office and Iran's delegation to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment. Tehran has consistently said its nuclear program is designed for peaceful purposes only, a conclusion Washington has rejected. THE COMING STORM One of the first hints that Trump might sign off on an Israeli bombing campaign came in April. During a closed-door meeting on April 17, Saudi Arabia's defense minister delivered a blunt message to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian: Take Trump's offer to negotiate an agreement seriously because it presents a way to avoid the risk of war with Israel. Reuters could not determine whether the message was sent at Washington's behest, nor whether Iran's leaders took that message seriously. With hindsight, they should have. The Israel Defense Forces and the head of U.S. Central Command, General Michael 'Erik' Kurilla, were discussing detailed intelligence about Iran's missile buildup and nuclear program and steps that could be required to defend U.S. troops and Israel itself in any conflict with Iran, according to a U.S. official and senior Israeli official. Meanwhile, the U.S. was funneling weapons to Israel that would be useful for an air war with Iran. In one instance in early May, a large shipment of defensive missiles originally meant for Ukraine was diverted to Israel instead, according to the Western source and the Ukrainian source. The diverted shipment caused consternation in Kyiv and sparked continued fears that additional weapons needed to defend against Moscow will instead be used to defend U.S. interests elsewhere, the Ukrainian source said. In the opening months of Trump's term, Israel had already proposed to Washington a series of options to attack Iran's facilities, according to sources. While Trump had rebuffed those ideas, saying he preferred diplomacy for the time being, several people close to him said he was never dead-set against using military force against Iran. He had done so before. In 2020, despite a foreign policy during his first term that was otherwise marked by restraint, Trump ordered a drone strike that killed major general Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' division responsible for its international operations. The Iranian government has since sought to murder Trump in revenge, U.S. prosecutors have said , an allegation Tehran denies. Behind the scenes, Trump had been pulled in multiple directions on the Iran issue since before he even took office. On one side, many supporters – including conservative media personality Tucker Carlson – and administration officials saw Trump's Make America Great Again movement as an antidote to decades of foreign wars that cost thousands of American lives without significantly advancing American interests. On the other, several close Trump allies – from conservative commentator Mark Levin to Republican Senator Lindsey Graham – were portraying a nuclear Iran as an existential threat that must be removed at any cost. Trump himself took pride in being a broker of peace. 'My proudest legacy,' he said during his inauguration address, 'will be that of a peacemaker and unifier.' 'IT'S A TANGO' Ultimately, no U.S. official, Trump confidante or diplomat Reuters talked to identified an epiphany that tipped the scales for the president. One senior administration official said that after months of sitting on the fence a lack of diplomatic progress, a push from the Israelis and appeals by hawkish allies likely wore him down. Trump aides and allies have noted that Israel's attack unfolded just after the expiry of a 60-day deadline the Trump administration had set for a diplomatic breakthrough with Iran. The senior U.S. official said another dynamic was at play: As U.S. intelligence consistently showed Israel might go ahead with an attack with or without U.S. support, the administration could look caught off guard if they did not get behind it. Worse, it could appear that the U.S. was opposing a longtime ally. Although Trump had appeared to some to snub Netanyahu as he pushed for a peaceful solution to the crisis, privately, Israel understood that Washington would stand by it, said a separate official. By the time Trump talked to Netanyahu on Monday, June 9 – one of many phone calls in recent days – his stance was one of tacit, if not explicit approval, according to one U.S. and one Israeli official. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had said he would like more time to see diplomacy play out. But the U.S. official said that he did not explicitly veto Israel's plans. By Wednesday, June 11, it was clear to Washington that Israel's plans were a go. That day, Reuters reported that the U.S. was preparing a partial evacuation of its Iraqi embassy amid fears of reprisals from Iran following an imminent attack. The next day, June 12, Washington sent a formal diplomatic note to several regional allies, warning them that an attack was imminent. That evening, Israel launched its overnight barrage , an attack that almost immediately escalated into an air war. Trump and some key cabinet members watched the events live from the wood-paneled 'JFK room,' part of the White House Situation Room. Other officials watched the events nearby. On the menu, per one official: stone crabs from a local restaurant. The initial attack appeared to be a success, with several close advisers to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei killed and key nuclear sites seriously damaged. Over the weekend, the Israelis considered killing Khamenei himself , but were waved off by Trump, according to two U.S. officials. Almost immediately, a political civil war erupted in Trump's Republican Party, with several high-profile conservatives, including members of Congress, accusing his administration of fanning the flames of war. Seven days on, the U.S. intelligence community believes the strikes have set Iran's nuclear ambitions back by only months, according to a source familiar with U.S. intelligence reports, confirming a CNN report. A significant blow to Iran's nuclear ambitions, most analysts say , will require dropping bunker-busting bombs on the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, the crown jewel of Iran's nuclear program. Only the U.S. has that capability. Trump has said he is considering such a strike, which would represent a major escalation for the United States. As of Thursday, his intentions were still unclear . (Reuters)
Japan Today
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
U.S. says that Israel accepts Gaza ceasefire plan; Hamas cool to it
By Gram Slattery, Michelle Nichols and Nidal al-Mughrabi Israel has agreed to a U.S. ceasefire proposal for Gaza, the White House said on Thursday, and Hamas said it was reviewing the plan although its terms did not meet the group's demands. As a U.S.-backed system for distributing food aid in the shattered enclave expanded, Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the families of hostages held in Gaza that Israel had accepted a deal presented by U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. Netanyahu's office did not confirm the reports, but White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters in Washington that Israel had signed off on the proposal. She did not detail its contents. But the New York Times quoted an Israeli official familiar with the proposal as saying the initial phase would include a 60-day ceasefire and humanitarian aid flowing through U.N.-run operations. The Palestinian militant group Hamas said it was studying the proposal, and senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters the group was still discussing it. But Abu Zuhri said its terms echoed Israel's position and do not contain commitments to end the war, withdraw Israeli troops or admit aid as Hamas has demanded. Deep differences between Hamas and Israel have stymied previous attempts to restore a ceasefire that broke down in March after only two months. Israel has insisted that Hamas disarm completely and be dismantled as a military and governing force and that all 58 hostages still held in Gaza must be returned before it will agree to end the war. Hamas has rejected the demand to give up its weapons and says Israel must pull its troops out of Gaza and commit to ending the war. AID EFFORT EXPANDS The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a private group backed by the United States and endorsed by Israel, expanded its aid distribution to a third site on Thursday. Heavily criticised by the United Nations and other aid groups as inadequate and flawed, the group's operation began this week in Gaza, where the U.N. has said 2 million people are at risk of famine after Israel's 11-week blockade on aid entering the enclave. The aid launch was marred by tumultuous scenes on Tuesday when thousands of Palestinians rushed distribution points and forced private security contractors to retreat. The chaotic start to the operation has raised international pressure on Israel to get more food in and halt the fighting in Gaza. GHF has so far supplied about 1.8 million meals and plans to open more sites in the coming weeks. Witkoff told reporters on Wednesday that Washington was close to "sending out a new term sheet" about a ceasefire to the two sides in the conflict that has raged since October 2023. "I have some very good feelings about getting to a long-term resolution, temporary ceasefire and a long-term resolution, a peaceful resolution, of that conflict," Witkoff said then. Israel has come under increasing international pressure, with many European countries that have normally been reluctant to criticise it openly demanding an end to the war and a major relief effort. Israel launched its campaign in Gaza in response to the devastating Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, that killed some 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage into Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. The campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, Gaza health officials say, and left the enclave in ruins. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
White House National Security Council hit by more firings, sources say
By Gram Slattery and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A large restructuring of the White House National Security Council got under way on Friday as President Donald Trump moved to reduce the size and scope of the once-powerful agency, five sources briefed on the matter said. Staff dealing with a variety of major geopolitical issues were sent termination notices on Friday, said the sources, who requested anonymity as they were not permitted to speak to the media. The move comes just weeks after Secretary of State Marco Rubio took over from Mike Waltz as national security adviser. The NSC declined to comment. The restructuring of the NSC is expected to grant more authority to the State Department, the Defense Department and other agencies, the sources said. The aim is to reduce the size of the NSC to just a few dozen people. The NSC is the main body used by presidents to coordinate national security strategy. Its staff often make key decisions regarding America's approach to the world's most volatile conflicts and play a key role in keeping America safe. The firings will reduce the NSC's already pared-down staff. The body had more than 300 staffers under Democratic President Joe Biden, but even before the recent firings under Trump was less than half the size of Biden's NSC. The NSC staffers who are cut from the agency will be moved to other positions in government, two of the sources told Reuters.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Biden had not received prostate cancer screening since 2014, spokesperson says
By Gram Slattery and Nandita Bose WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Former U.S. President Joe Biden had not received a test for prostate cancer, known as a PSA, for more than a decade before he was diagnosed with an advanced form of the disease last week, a spokesperson said on Tuesday. The latest comments from the former Democratic president's camp come amid questions from Republicans and some health professionals about why his cancer was not caught before reaching an advanced stage. Biden, 82, has also faced broader questions about whether he and his allies withheld critical information from the American public about his ability to serve in the White House. A new book, "Original Sin," details widespread concerns about Biden's mental acuity among aides as he pursued reelection last year. "President Biden's last known PSA was in 2014," the Biden spokesperson said on Tuesday. "Prior to Friday, President Biden had never been diagnosed with prostate cancer." A PSA test, or prostate-specific antigen test, is a blood test that is used to screen for prostate cancer. Some health professionals consulted by Reuters had expressed surprise at the diagnosis given that most prostate cancers are detected at an earlier stage and that presidents undergo thorough health monitoring. Still, others said it is not unusual to discontinue testing for prostate cancer in older patients because the test is less reliable in that age group. Prostate cancer has a much higher survival rate than most other cancers. In 2012, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended against PSA-based screening for prostate cancer in men of all ages. The task force reversed the recommendation in 2017, advising against the screening for men older than 70. Biden, who ultimately abandoned his reelection bid and left office in January, was in his early 70s at the time of his 2014 screening. "It is very reasonable to discontinue PSA screening at age 72, regardless of health status, or significantly decrease the frequency of screening," said Dr. Scott Eggener, a urologic cancer specialist and professor of surgery at the University of Chicago. Biden's office said he had been diagnosed on Friday with "aggressive" prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. Cancers that have spread, or metastasized, are considered stage 4, the most advanced. U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance are among the Republicans who have offered well-wishes to Biden while also raising questions about the timing and nature of his cancer diagnosis. Trump received a PSA test as part of his latest annual physical exam, according to results released in April.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Analysis-Gulf states use opulence and flattery to win Trump's heart
By Gram Slattery and Matt Spetalnick ABU DHABI (Reuters) -Escorts of camels and Arabian horses. A luxury plane offered as a gift. Hundreds of men dancing with drums and scimitars before marble palaces. Extravagant displays of opulence and adulation greeted U.S. President Donald Trump at every stage of his four-day swing through the Gulf, which wrapped up on Friday. His itineraries in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates appeared tailor-made for a real-estate-developer-turned-president, who can be susceptible to flattery, transactional in his foreign policy dealings and is attracted to extreme wealth. To the extent those displays were designed to curry favor with Trump, they very well might have worked. While the Gulf states announced trillions in potential investments in the U.S. during his visit, they also got plenty in return. On Thursday, the U.S. agreed to partner with the UAE to build a massive artificial intelligence campus in that Gulf state. In a surprise move on Tuesday, Trump agreed to lift sanctions on Syria at the request of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, even as some of Trump's own advisers recommended against rapprochement with Syria, whose new president was once an al-Qaeda commander. "Oh, what I do for the crown prince!" the president gushed to the crowd at the investment conference in Riyadh where he announced the decision. Trump's regional swing could serve as a template for other host nations looking for a way to the president's heart, analysts said. The treatment Trump received throughout the week seemed almost a global extension of what regularly plays out in Washington, where Cabinet members are quick to praise Trump's acumen and vision, and often outline the administration's accomplishments in superlative terms. "They played their hand well," Laura Blumenfield, Middle East analyst at John Hopkins University's School of International Studies in Washington said of the Gulf state leaders. "The choreography of Trump's royal tour was impressive." Trump left the Middle East without securing a ceasefire or renewal of humanitarian aid for Gaza, however. Democrats and good government watchdogs raised concerns about Trump's decision-making being swayed by the regal spectacle and whether his diplomatic efforts could be used to further his family's extensive business operations in the Arabian Peninsula. "It feels like Trump is being played by some of these leaders with the ostentatious, ceremonial pomp," said Brett Bruen, a former foreign policy adviser to Democratic President Barack Obama and president of the Global Situation Room consultancy. "A lot of this raises questions whether Trump is taking personal prizes or really advancing U.S interests in the region," he added. The Trump administration has repeatedly said it is committed to transparency and that it complies with all ethics laws to avoid conflicts of interests. "Countries in the Middle East are 'pulling out all the stops' because America is strong again," said Taylor Rogers, a White House spokesman. "Foreign leaders know President Trump is the dealmaker-in-chief whose peace through strength policies have restored America's dominance." ROYAL TREATMENT The pomp and pageantry began before Trump even touched down in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for the first stop of his trip. As Air Force One descended toward Riyadh, Saudi F-15 fighter jets appeared close alongside to escort the presidential plane. After the president walked down a lavender carpet, his motorcade was escorted to the Royal Court on a road lined by mounted Arabian horses. Not to be outdone, Qatar gave Air Force One a fighter jet escort of its own as it descended into Doha on Wednesday. And instead of mere horses, the Qataris added camels into the mix, as well as Tesla Cybertrucks, which have become popular among some Trump supporters due to their affiliation with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a close Trump adviser. A traditional dhow sailboat with an American flag sail bobbed in the nearby bay. In Qatar's elaborate royal court, the Emiri Diwan, Trump gushed at the quality of the marble. Trump's own style tends heavily toward the white stone and gold leafing, elements that feature heavily at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and which he has added to the White House since taking office. The emir had previously offered Trump a luxury Boeing 747-8 plane to replace Air Force One, a gift that is raising constitutional questions and ethical concerns even from some fellow Republicans. And on Thursday, he offered Trump a series of personal compliments, albeit ones related to diplomacy rather than style. "We are very excited," the emir said. "I know that you are a man of peace. I know that you want to bring peace to this region." Trump, throughout the trip, was quick to offer compliments in return. "I like him a lot. I like him too much," Trump said of bin Salman, without mentioning the leader's alleged role in ordering the murder of U.S.-based Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. Bin Salman has denied involvement in the killing and former President Joe Biden's administration determined that he had immunity from a lawsuit filed against him in the U.S. UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, Trump said later in the week, is a "magnificent man." Upon landing in Abu Dhabi on Thursday for the last stop of his trip, Trump toured the massive, ornate Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque with the emirate's crown prince. Trump marveled at its beauty and what he called "an incredible culture." At the Qasr al Watan royal palace that evening, Sheikh Mohamed presented Trump with a final gift on his trip: the Order of Zayed. The baroque pendant necklace, the country's highest civilian honor, is made of pure gold.
