President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago on Monday afternoon, with talks expected to focus on renewed tensions with Iran and the possibility of moving on to additional phases of the Gaza peace plan.
Before meeting the president, Netanyahu will meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday morning.
NETANYAHU CALLS ON NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES TO JOIN ISRAEL IN ‘EXPELLING HAMAS’ FROM THE REGION
President Donald Trump speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ben Gurion International Airport before boarding his plane to Sharm El-Sheikh, on October 13, 2025 in Tel Aviv, Israel (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“The problem is that Hamas knows that all it has to do is survive and continue to control the western part of Gaza while attacking Israel, as it has done from the Gaza tunnel network, to increase tensions between Israel and the US,” Diker said.
Netanyahu’s mission during the visit, he continued, will be the first to portray Israel’s threat picture regarding Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas as extremely serious, and to convince the president that Tehran is rebuilding its military capabilities. He will also likely try to convince Trump to allow Israel to take whatever steps it deems necessary to defeat Hamas.
Lapid added: “Israel must achieve the disarmament of Hamas and remove the threat from Gaza, and that requires the implementation of President Trump’s plan.”
Hamas terrorists march in Gaza during a parade. (Getty Images)
IRANIAN PRESIDENT SAYS HIS COUNTRY IS AT ‘TOTAL WAR’ WITH US, ISRAEL AND EUROPE: REPORTS
During the meeting, Netanyahu will reportedly present Trump with plans for a possible attack on Iran. Israel has warned Washington that a recent missile exercise by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards could mask preparations for an attack, a concern that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir expressed to U.S. Central Command Chief Admiral Brad Cooper during recent meetings in Tel Aviv.
In a Saturday interview reported by the country’s media, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country is involved in what he described as a “total warwith the US, Israel and Europe. The Times of Israel reported him saying: “In my opinion, we are at total war with the United States, Israel and Europe,” Pezeshkian said. “They want to bring our country to its knees.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the US of “grave treason” during the United Nations General Assembly on September 24, 2025 in New York City. (Jeenah Maan/Reuters)
Axios reported that US intelligence assesses there is no immediate threat, while Israeli defense officials say the armed forces remain on high alert.
According to Dr. Meir Javedanfar, a lecturer on Iran and the Middle East at Reichman University, Netanyahu’s plan is expected to call for attacks on Iran’s missile program.
Smoke rises after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 13, 2025. Israel attacked Iran’s capital early Friday, sending explosions roaring throughout Tehran. (Getty)
“Israel is likely to hope that such a large-scale attack would further undermine the legitimacy of Iran’s Supreme Leader, creating greater political instability in the country. This is especially true as the Iranian economy has deteriorated significantly following the recent war with Israel and the regime is not taking the necessary steps to address these problems,” he said.
RUBIO REVEALS SHARED INTELLIGENCE PREVENTED POSSIBLE HAMAS ATTACK, DISCUSSES INTERNATIONAL STABILIZATION FORCE
Israeli Minister of Settlements and National Missions Orit Strook stressed the importance of completing the full demilitarization of Gaza before proceeding with further phases of the plan.
She referenced Trump’s speech to Israel’s Knesset in October, noting that he highlighted his role in building international support for the demilitarization of Gaza and securing a UN Security Council resolution calling for the complete dismantling of weapons, tunnels and terror infrastructure.
The IDF announced that as part of the ceasefire and in accordance with the directives of the political echelon, IDF forces under the Southern Command have begun marking the Yellow Line in the Gaza Strip to achieve tactical clarity on the ground. (IDF)
“If, God forbid, the opposite happens during the meeting, it will be a failure of the peace plan, a failure for Trump himself – who would settle for false demilitarization – and a failure for us. We will not be able to say that we have won this war if Hamas remains armed,” she added.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Nevertheless, Trump is expected to soon unveil the second phase of his Gaza framework, despite Hamas’s failure to recover the remains of Israeli police master Sgt. Ran Gvili, who was killed in the October 7, 2023 massacre, and whose body was taken to Gaza by Hamas terrorists.
