'We'll knock them down': Trump backs attack on Iran if weapons development continues

US President Donald Trump on Monday said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu settled three difficult issues concerning Gaza within five minutes of their meeting.

“We had about a five-minute meeting, and we’ve already settled about three of the difficulties,” Trump said at his Mar-a-Lago beach club in Florida, where he was hosting Netanyahu.

Trump and Netanyahu met for talks on breaking a deadlock over the Gaza ceasefire and addressing Israeli concerns about Iran and Hezbollah.

Trump said he wanted to move to the second phase of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas as soon as possible, but that “there has to be a disarming of Hamas.”

Trump also supported the disarmament of Hamas at all costs, saying that "they made an agreement that they were going to disarm. We have countries that pushed for the deal, saying they will disarm Hamas if they don't disarm, and will wipe them out if they don't disarm."

Furthermore, Trump said he would be open to supporting another rapid Israeli attack on Iran if Iran continues developing its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs.

“Iran may be behaving badly. Because it has not been confirmed, but if it is, the consequences will be more severe than last time,” Trump added, and also addressed the situation in Lebanon, claiming that Hezbollah "is behaving badly" and that "we will see what to do."

“I feel that if you had the wrong prime minister, Israel would not exist,” he told reporters during remarks full of praise for Netanyahu.

Trump celebrated the US military’s success in wiping out much of Iran’s nuclear capabilities with “beautiful B-2 bombers.”

“I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are, we’re going to have to knock them down,” he said ahead of the meeting. “We’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them.”

Trump said the Iranian people were unhappy, their economy is bad, and the regime “starts shooting people” every time there is some form of resistance.

He declined to comment when asked whether he would support the Ayatollah’s regime being overthrown.

“You know, they kill people,” Trump said.

Senior Israeli officials had hoped such a statement would be made by Trump, who until now had referred only to Iran’s nuclear program as justification for military action.

Last week, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), a close ally of Trump, arrived in Israel for a 24-hour visit, during which he met with Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, head of the Operations Directorate Maj.-Gen. Itzik Cohen, and other senior officials. Much of the discussions focused on Iran’s ballistic-missile program.

Netanyahu arrived at Mar-a-Lago with an “intelligence dossier” dealing with the Iranian threat and Tehran’s attempts to rebuild its capabilities.

Asked about his relationship with Netanyahu, Trump said: “I don’t think it could be better. We just won a big war together. You know, if we didn’t just beat Iran, you wouldn’t have had peace in the Middle East... The Arab countries, who have been fantastic, would not have been able to make a deal.”

Israel and Hamas signed a ceasefire deal in October, but alleged violations have been frequent, and little apparent progress has been made on longer-term goals.

Earlier this month, Netanyahu said Trump had invited him for talks, as Washington pushes to establish transitional governance and an international security force for Gaza against Israeli reluctance to move forward.

While Washington has brokered three ceasefires involving its longtime ally – between Israel and Hamas, Israel and Iran, and Israel and Lebanon – Netanyahu is wary of Israel’s foes rebuilding their forces after they were considerably weakened during the war.

Israel and Hamas agreed in October to Trump’s plan to end the Israel-Hamas War, which ultimately sees Israel withdrawing from the territory and Hamas giving up its weapons and forgoing a governing role.

The first phase of the ceasefire included a partial Israeli withdrawal, an increase of aid, and the exchange of hostages for Palestinian detainees and prisoners.

An Israeli official in Netanyahu’s inner circle said the prime minister would demand that the first phase of the ceasefire be completed by Hamas returning the remains of the last Israeli hostage left in Gaza before moving ahead to the next stages.

The family of the deceased hostage, Ran Gvili, joined Netanyahu’s visiting entourage and was expected to meet Trump administration officials.

Israel has yet to open the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, also a condition of Trump’s plan, saying it would only do so once Gvili’s remains are returned.

Tel Aviv University political scientist Chuck Freilich said Netanyahu was in a tight spot with an election due in October.

“He doesn’t want a clash with Trump in an election year,” the former deputy national security adviser said. “[Trump] wants to go forward, and Bibi [Netanyahu] is going to have to make some compromises there.”

Trump said Hamas must first disarm before the Gaza ceasefire deal can reach its second phase, although he said the US was pushing to get to that stage “as quickly as we can.”

Reconstruction efforts in Gaza would begin soon, but it is a “tough neighborhood” and has been a “mess” for centuries, Trump said.

In response, the President’s Residence said no conversation had taken place between Herzog and Trump since the pardon request was submitted.

“Several weeks ago, a conversation took place between President Herzog and a representative on behalf of Trump, who inquired about the American president’s letter,” it said. “During that conversation, an explanation was given regarding the stage the request is currently at, and that any decision would be made according to established procedures. This was conveyed to Trump’s representative exactly as President Herzog explained to the Israeli public.”

Trump said he hoped Israel could get along with Syria, even as Israel has infringed upon Syrian territorial sovereignty since the regime of Bashar al-Assad was deposed late last year.

Ahead of his meeting with Trump, the Prime Minister’s Office said Netanyahu had met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

Last week, Rubio said Washington wants the transitional administration envisioned in Trump’s plan – a Board of Peace and a body made up of Palestinian technocrats – to be in place soon to govern Gaza ahead of the deployment of the international security force that was mandated by a November 17 UN Security Council resolution.

Israel and Hamas have accused each other of major breaches of the deal and look no closer to accepting the much more difficult steps envisaged for the next phase. •

Hamas, which has refused to disarm, has been reasserting its control as Israeli troops remain entrenched in about half the territory.

Israel has indicated that if Hamas is not disarmed peacefully, it will resume military action to make it do so.

In Lebanon, a US-backed ceasefire in November 2024 ended more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, and required the disarmament of the powerful Iran-backed Shiite group, beginning in areas south of the river adjacent to Israel.

While Lebanon has said it is close to completing the mission within the year-end deadline of disarming Hezbollah, the group has resisted calls to lay down its weapons.

Israel says progress is partial and slow, and has been carrying out frequent strikes in Lebanon, which it says are meant to stop Hezbollah from rebuilding.

Iran, which fought a 12-day war with Israel in June, said last week that it had conducted missile exercises for the second time this month.

Netanyahu said last week that Israel was not seeking a confrontation with Iran, but was aware of the reports, and said he would raise Tehran’s activities with Trump.

Trump in June ordered US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, but has since then broached a potential deal with Tehran.