Donald Trump's urgent call to Benjamin Netanyahu to avoid a military response to Iran's missile barrage went unheeded Sunday, as the Israeli air force struck targets deep inside Iranian territory, threatening to push the Middle East conflict into uncharted territory.
The president said he was about to phone Netanyahu directly with a simple message: do not strike back. "Both of them have already done their part," Trump told reporters. "Israel had its strike and Iran had its strike. We don't need another one."
Hours later, Israeli military officials announced that warplanes had hit military targets in western and central Iran. The White House declined to say whether the strikes were coordinated with the US government or to provide any comment on the operation itself.
The escalation came after Iran fired missiles at Israel earlier in the day in retaliation for Israeli bombing runs on southern Beirut. The tit-for-tat exchanges have raised acute concerns about the conflict metastasizing into a region-wide war involving multiple nations.
Trump has been simultaneously pushing a narrative that negotiations with Iran remain viable. He told Axios that talks were "close" to a final deal and expressed worry that "it's going to blow up because of what's happening now." The contradiction between his diplomatic optimism and the military reality unfolding on the ground underscores the administration's struggle to manage the crisis.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran's parliament and a top negotiator, responded to the Israeli strikes by declaring that US military bases and assets across the region should now be considered "legitimate targets." Earlier, Iranian officials had promised a "decisive and painful" response to the Beirut bombing, and shortly after that threat, sirens wailed across northern Israel.
Other stories from the day
Trump walked out of an NBC interview on Friday after clashing with anchor Kristen Welker over false claims about the 2020 presidential election and questions surrounding compensation for January 6 rioters. The Wisconsin sit-down aired on Sunday and showed Trump becoming visibly agitated as the interviewer pressed him on both topics.
The president also declined Sunday to rule out using an $1.8 billion fund to compensate people charged in connection with the Capitol assault, a stance that continues to generate controversy among lawmakers.
Trump is reportedly considering purchasing the Chagos Islands from Mauritius, according to the Telegraph. The proposed move would bypass ongoing negotiations between the UK and Mauritius over the territory's sovereignty and would effectively secure American control of the Diego Garcia military base located there. The White House offered no comment on the report.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth drew sharp criticism from historians and rights advocates for invoking the D-Day anniversary to attack European immigration policies. Speaking in Normandy on Saturday for the 82nd commemoration of the landings, Hegseth compared immigration flows to an "invasion," a framing that observers called "grotesque stupidity" and a desecration of soldiers' memories.
Several FBI analysts responsible for a 2023 memo warning of potential Catholic "violent extremist" threats have been terminated, according to their attorney. The firings represent the latest personnel purge under FBI Director Kash Patel's leadership.
As the nation approaches its 250th birthday next month, disputes over public monuments, flags, and symbols have intensified, with Trump's proposals emerging as among the most contentious.
Author James Rodriguez: "Trump's appeal to Netanyahu crumbles in real time, exposing the limits of presidential pressure when military momentum is already in motion."
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