Netanyahu urges Trump to strike Iran after 3 November
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on La Nouvelle Tribune
Benjamin Netanyahu asked Donald Trump to resume strikes against Iran immediately after the US elections on 3 November, during a call on 31 October. Trump still favours negotiations, while around 80 US refuelling aircraft are reportedly in Israel, according to Axios and Channel 14.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pressed Donald Trump on Saturday 31 October 2026 to resume strikes against Iran the day after the US midterm elections, according to Axios, which cited an Israeli source and a US source. The US president prefers to give discussions with Tehran more time, a position that worries the Israeli leader.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in Atlanta on Saturday that Donald Trump had not made a decision on resuming the strikes. However, the president left open the possibility of swift action, saying Washington still needed to “deal with” one or two Iranian nuclear sites.
Around 80 US refuelling aircraft are reportedly in Israel, including at least ten large transport planes, according to Channel 14, an Israeli television channel. The channel described the deployment as an “unprecedented” airlift in the Middle East.
Netanyahu’s call comes after Donald Trump raised the prospect of strikes against Iran after the vote in a plan for strikes after the US elections. On 17 July, Axios reported that Washington had notified Israel that dozens of additional refuelling aircraft were arriving to replenish the fleet present at the start of the conflict.
