From the Liveblog of
Thursday, October 22, 2026
Netanyahu denies that Trump halted an Israeli strike on Iran earlier this month
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denies a Financial Times report that he was planning to strike Iran earlier this month but was stopped by US President Donald Trump, who didn’t want to see a resumption of fighting before the US midterms.
“That report is incorrect,” Netanyahu tells Channel 7.
He adds that he will not go into what was actually said in recent conversations with Trump over Iran.
Three people familiar with the matter told the UK newspaper on Wednesday that the Israel Defense Forces was ready to carry out strikes on the weekend of October 10 to target Iranian nuclear facilities and regime sites, as well as civilian infrastructure including energy plants.
However, the unnamed sources said that Trump decided not to restart the conflict before the US midterms on November 3. Israel is also heading to the polls imminently, with Netanyahu facing a tough reelection battle in Tuesday’s Knesset election.
Negotiations between the US and Iran have largely stalled in recent months. At their heart is a dispute over the future of Iran’s nuclear program. Iran maintains that the program is peaceful but has enriched uranium far beyond any civilian use, blocked inspectors and built a ballistic missile program.
The Times of Israel Community.