‘We’ll Knock the Hell Out of Them’: Trump Warns Iran in Mar-a-Lago Talks With Netanyahu
I report on a wide-ranging meeting at Mar-a-Lago in which President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to push the Gaza ceasefire toward its next phase by making one demand unmistakable: Hamas must disarm. Greeting reporters in Florida, the US president projected momentum, saying, “We had about a five-minute meeting, and we’ve already settled about three of the difficulties,” before adding a firm condition: “But there has to be a disarming of Hamas.”
Trump paired that demand with a warning, saying Hamas must lay down its weapons within a “very short period of time” or face “hell to pay.” He argued that pressure would not rest on Israel alone, claiming other countries could be willing to “wipe out” Hamas if it refuses. Netanyahu reinforced the message, saying Trump set conditions the Palestinian Authority must meet before returning to Gaza, including ending “pay-to-slay” and overhauling school curricula.
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Iran emerged as the second major focus. Trump warned that suspected rebuilding of nuclear or missile capabilities could trigger renewed strikes. “Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again,” he said, adding, “We’ll knock the hell out of them,” if such activity is confirmed. Asked about regime change, he declined, saying he would not “talk about the overthrow of a regime.”
Trump struck a cautious note on Hezbollah, saying, “We’re going to see about that,” while criticizing the group’s behavior. He also addressed Syria, speaking optimistically about relations with President Ahmed al-Sharaa and crediting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for Bashar al-Assad’s fall.
The meeting also spilled into Israeli politics and jurisprudence after Trump claimed President Isaac Herzog signaled a pardon for Netanyahu—a claim Herzog’s office denied. I return to these tensions and their regional implications at the end of the full article.
