SBenton

The silence that speaks volumes: Jerusalem stays mute after Netanyahu’s call with Trump As someone who has covered the Prime Minister’s Office for years, and Israel’s war with Iran even more closely — I can say this: it is highly unusual for Netanyahu’s team to refuse even basic confirmation of a conversation between the prime minister and the U.S. president, especially amid escalating tensions with Iran. The quiet is telling. Behind the scenes, anxiety is running high in Jerusalem as officials await President Trump’s next move: push for a new nuclear deal that many here view as partial and dangerous, or greenlight renewed Israeli strikes to fundamentally alter the balance of power. The previous round of attacks inflicted real damage on Iran’s military infrastructure. Yet it barely dented the regime’s hardline ideology or its determination to destroy Israel. That reality looms large now. Israeli officials have always been cautious when speaking about Trump personally. During the Gaza war, Netanyahu’s circle occasionally voiced frustration with certain American envoys through background briefings. But criticism of the president himself — never. That restraint remains firmly in place. Still, the gap between Trump’s public comments over the past day and Israel’s core concerns is hard to ignore. The president spoke almost exclusively about Iran’s nuclear program. There was no mention of its massive ballistic missile arsenal or its network of terrorist proxies that encircle and threaten Israel daily. Equally worrying for decision-makers in Jerusalem is the prospect of sanctions relief. If billions of dollars flow back into the regime’s coffers, Israeli officials are certain where much of that money will go — and it won’t be to civilian infrastructure or culture. As one official put it to me today: “I understand they’re unhappy. Nerves are frayed around the Prime Minister’s Office.” The challenge for Netanyahu is already clear. After more than 40 days of intense fighting, he will have to explain to the Israeli public how the Ayatollah’s regime remains intact, ideologically unchanged, still armed with well over a thousand long-range ballistic missiles (per Israeli assessments), and potentially poised to rebuild its economy and pour fresh funds into Hezbollah, Hamas, and other proxies on Israel’s borders. Earlier today, Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, delivered a carefully worded warning in an interview: any deal that fails to address both the nuclear program **and** the ballistic missile threat “is not a good deal.” It was a subtle but unmistakable signal of Jerusalem’s deep unease.

CA Governor (crosstabs) Democrats: 🟦 Becerra: 35% (+6) 🟦 Steyer: 18% (-4) 🟦 Porter: 10% (-3) 🟦 Mahan: 5% —— Independents 🟦 Becerra: 19% (+1) 🟦 Steyer: 17% (+) 🟥 Hilton: 11% (+7) 🟥 Bianco: 10% (+4) 🟦 Mahan: 9% (+2) 🟦 Porter: 6% (+1) —— Republicans 🟥 Hilton: 57% (+9) 🟥 Bianco: 24% (-16] (+/- change vs May 4) Evitarus for CA Dem party | 5/15-16

The Pentagon reportedly did not want resumption of strikes as Iran grew more effective tracking US air ops, per NYT

Trump: We planned to strike Iran tomorrow — but we are delaying it at the request of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the Emirates, due to the serious negotiations currently taking place.