Palm Beach, Florida, December 31: U.S. President Donald Trump warned on Monday that the United States could support another major strike on Iran if it resumes rebuilding its ballistic missile or nuclear weapons programmes, and threatened Hamas with severe consequences if it does not disarm, after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Speaking alongside Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump said he believed Iran may be attempting to restore weapons capabilities following a major U.S. strike carried out in June.
“I’ve been reading that they’re building up weapons and other things, and if they are, they’re not using the sites we obliterated, but possibly different sites,” Trump told reporters, adding that Washington was closely tracking Tehran’s activities.
“We know exactly where they’re going, what they’re doing,” Trump said, warning that renewed activity could prompt further action. Iran last week said it had conducted missile exercises for the second time this month, after fighting a 12-day war with Israel in June.
Trump said his talks with Netanyahu focused on advancing a fragile Gaza ceasefire he helped broker, as well as Israeli concerns over Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Netanyahu has said Israel is not seeking a confrontation with Iran but remains alert to signs that its adversaries could rebuild military capabilities.
Turning to Gaza, Trump said he wanted progress toward a second phase of the ceasefire agreed in October between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which would involve more difficult political steps and the deployment of an international peacekeeping force.
He placed responsibility for delays squarely on Hamas, which has refused to disarm, and warned the group of dire consequences if it continued to do so.
“There will be hell to pay,” Trump said, repeating a warning he has issued at several points during the conflict. Israel has said it will resume military action if Hamas is not disarmed peacefully.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violations, and Israeli forces remain entrenched in about half of Gaza. While large-scale fighting has eased, Israeli strikes since October have killed more than 400 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to Gaza health officials, and Palestinian militants have killed three Israeli soldiers.
Trump’s broader plan to end the war calls for Israel to withdraw from Gaza, Hamas to give up its weapons and forgo any governing role, and the establishment of transitional governance backed by international forces, as mandated by a Nov. 17 U.N. Security Council resolution.
An Israeli official close to Netanyahu said the prime minister would insist that Hamas complete the first phase of the deal by returning the remains of the last Israeli hostage believed to be in Gaza before moving to subsequent stages. Israel has yet to open the Rafah crossing with Egypt, another condition of the plan, citing the same issue.
Trump said he and Netanyahu did not fully agree on the future of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, without elaborating.
The two leaders also discussed Turkey and Syria. Trump said he had raised the possibility of Turkish peacekeepers being stationed in Gaza, a sensitive issue given strained Israeli-Turkish relations. Netanyahu said Israel wanted a peaceful border with Syria, while Trump expressed confidence that Israel could work with Syria’s new president following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad last year.
Trump struck a warm tone toward Netanyahu throughout the visit, underscoring continued U.S. support for Israel even as Washington seeks to prevent renewed hostilities in Gaza and avert escalation with Iran.
