An Explosive Phone Call

Are Trump and Netanyahu Stirring Up a New War?

Netanyahu’s Likud Party used posters like these to court Israeli voters. Now the opposition is warning of a new war against Iran.(Bild: AP/Ohad Zwigenberg)

U.S. President Trump is speaking openly about new attacks on Iran; according to one report, he has already spoken by phone with Israel’s prime minister about resuming airstrikes. The Israeli opposition warns that Netanyahu is resorting to a new war to stay in power.

The elections in Israel have led to a political stalemate, and protracted coalition negotiations lie ahead. It remains unclear whether the center-left bloc can form a government or whether long-time Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will once again manage to cobble together a cabinet. Opposition politician Yair Golan has now issued a stark warning that the prime minister might instigate a new war with Iran in the “fight for his political survival.”

Netanyahu’s Likud Party used posters like these to court Israeli voters. Now the opposition is warning against a new war against Iran.(Bild: AP/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Israel’s security must not be turned into a “tool” in this process, the chairman of the left-liberal Democrats wrote on Sunday on Platform X (see post below). Netanyahu lacks the public’s trust to lead such a military conflict. Golan therefore called for the swift formation of an alternative government.

Explosive Phone Call
His concern is well-founded. According to a report in the “Wall Street Journal,” Netanyahu spoke by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday. The call reportedly took place against the backdrop of U.S. preparations to resume bombing in Iran. There has long been speculation that the U.S. military, together with Israeli forces, could strike Iran again following the U.S. midterm elections next Tuesday, November 3.

Trump has already voiced his intention on several occasions to reignite the smoldering conflict with Tehran after the elections. Most recently, on Saturday, he raised the possibility of new attacks on targets in Iran. “We’ve taken out their nuclear program. We still have to deal with, I’d say, one or two facilities, but we can take care of that in ten minutes,” he told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Specifically, Trump mentioned Mount Kolang, also known as “Pickaxe Mountain,” under which an Iranian nuclear complex is believed to be located.

“That needs to be taken care of”
“You could probably take a look at Pickaxe Mountain, and that’s something that needs to be dealt with,” Trump said. This “Pickaxe Mountain” is located in Isfahan Province, about 200 kilometers south of Tehran, near the Natanz nuclear facility. The Iranian government denies that work on a nuclear program is taking place there.

Trump also stated that the U.S. was in no hurry to launch further attacks. Talks on ending the war with Iran were going “well,” though he added that the Iranians were “not very reliable.” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously stated that Trump had not yet decided on new attacks. The U.S. is open to a diplomatic solution.

Tehran threatens a “geographically unrestricted response”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi had stated on Saturday that no meetings with U.S. representatives were currently planned. However, consultations through intermediaries were continuing. Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned against new attacks and threatened an “immediate, effective, and geographically unrestricted response.” The war began in late February with attacks by the U.S. and Israel. After an agreement fell through in June, diplomatic efforts stalled.