JERUSALEM, Israel – After two weeks of attacks, the war with Iran paused over the weekend as President Trump makes room for more negotiations. In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is taking aim at New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani over rhetoric the prime minister claims is antisemitism.
After posting threatening AI cartoon images aimed at Iran on Truth Social over the weekend, Trump is making clear that America’s military posture in the Middle East hasn’t changed, even as he allows more time for negotiations.
America’s Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz observed on Fox News, “As the president said, we are locked and loaded. Even more assets are going into theater. But he’s giving talks some space. He’s giving it a little bit of room.”
Despite reports of dwindling munitions stockpiles, the Trump administration insists that the U.S. military is poised to attack, should diplomacy fail.
“We are rebuilding with cheaper, faster, more technologically capable (munitions stockpiles) as we are conducting this campaign. And so, there should be no doubt that the military has what it needs and is moving even more assets into the region.”
Iran is also pausing strikes, but warns it will expand the war if the U.S. resumes.
Israeli officials believe that the president will eventually be forced to escalate the conflict, arguing that Iran is unlikely to make the concessions Washington demands.
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Prime Minister Netanyahu departed Jerusalem earlier on Monday to meet with President Trump on Tuesday. The Times of Israel reports that he’ll present Trump with new intelligence showing that Iran is already working to rebuild its military and nuclear program.
The regional chessboard is also shifting. The U.S. cautioned that Turkey has yet to meet the conditions required to obtain American F-35 fighter jets.
And, while Syria’s new leadership is now seeking a security agreement with Israel, a fragile truce with Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels seems to be unraveling.
Yet, one of Netanyahu’s most disturbing battles isn’t in the Middle East; it’s in New York City.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani stated last week, “Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people.”
Netanyahu charged that those words are fueling antisemitism. Speaking on Fox News Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, Netanyahu declared, “Look at what he’s doing: he’s fomenting hate.”
The prime minister added, “He’s supposed to be the mayor of all New Yorkers – Jews, Christians, Muslims, everyone. But he’s trying to turn one group against the other, and he’s foisting hate and fear. I speak to Jewish Americans in New York, and they’re afraid right now. And I don’t think it’s accidental.”
Netanyahu says he plans to visit New York in the future, despite past arrest threats from Mamdani. Netanyahu maintains that he’s more concerned for the safety of others, especially at a time of surging antisemitism.
“And I think that’s part of this incitement language that is sweeping a lot of circles with antisemitism, a lot of circles in the West, in the United States and unbelievably in New York City, which has the second-largest Jewish population in the world after Israel,” Netanyahu remarked. ” And I think it’s wrong. The whole thing is wrong.”
