Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly pressuring U.S. President Donald Trump to initiate a new conflict against Iran. Against this backdrop, the director of Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad—identified as Roman Gofman—arrived in Washington on Friday.
He is scheduled to hold discussions with senior officials of the Trump administration regarding a potential war with Iran, according to three sources familiar with the matter, as reported by the American news outlet Axios.
Roman Gofman is a close confidant of Prime Minister Netanyahu. Sources indicate that during his visit to Washington, he is meeting with John Ratcliffe, the director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Additionally, he is expected to travel to Miami to meet with Steve Witkoff, a special envoy for the White House.
However, the Mossad, the CIA, and the White House have all declined to comment on the matter.
Meanwhile, Israel’s domestic political situation has become a critical concern for Netanyahu. He lost his parliamentary majority following the elections held on October 27.
Netanyahu’s rival, Gadi Eizenkot, has been tasked with forming a new government, though it remains uncertain whether he will ultimately succeed.
Israeli opposition leaders fear that Netanyahu might launch an attack on Iran—or orchestrate a situation that provokes an Iranian counter-attack—in order to derail Eizenkot’s efforts to form a government. Sources familiar with the situation have voiced these concerns.
Should Eizenkot succeed in forming a government, Netanyahu would be forced to relinquish power. Consequently, there is growing anxiety within the opposition camp regarding the possibility of a new military conflict involving Iran.
On Thursday, Netanyahu and Eizenkot held a two-hour meeting, during which Netanyahu briefed him on the situation regarding Iran.
