US sends F-22s to Israel while Trump ponders pounding Iran

American F-22 fighter jets touched down at an Israeli Air Force base Tuesday evening as tensions with Iran continue to soar.

According to reports from Walla's Amir Bohbot and Israel's public broadcaster, at least a dozen of these stealth killing machines, among the most advanced fighters on the planet and exclusive to the U.S. arsenal, landed amid the escalating showdown between Washington and Tehran.

President Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with the limits of U.S. military leverage against Iran, per sources familiar with the matter cited by left-leaning CBS News. This frustration follows briefings where aides told the president that, unlike the recent operation that removed Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, any move against Iran would demand far more than a single strike. The Monday CBS report noted that such an action could drag the U.S. into a prolonged military campaign across the Middle East.

Pentagon officials earlier this week voiced serious concerns about the potential costs of such a campaign, warning it could claim the lives of American troops and our allies, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The WSJ and Axios highlighted that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine strongly opposed war with Iran, a claim Trump pushed back against in a Truth Social post. The WSJ added that several other Pentagon officials echoed similar warnings to Caine, though he was the most prominent voice.

Trump himself said General Caine "would [not like] to see war in Iran, but if a decision is made on going against Iran at a military level, it is his opinion that it will be something easily won."Sources told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday that Trump remains undecided on the path forward: whether to pursue a deal with Iran, launch a weeks-long war aimed at toppling the regime, or opt for a narrower strike to pressure Tehran into accepting better terms.

With fake news and wild speculation flooding the airwaves, even top American and Israeli officials sometimes appear as uncertain about Trump's next move as the rest of us. One emerging option, now being widely leaked according to sources, involves Trump hunting for a middle-ground approach: a limited, short-duration attack on the Islamic Republic.

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The Islamic Revolution's 2026 anniversary could well be its last.

Bottom line: the pieces are moving, the rhetoric is heating up, and the F-22s on Israeli soil are a very clear signal that the Trump administration isn't bluffing when it comes to Iran. Stay tuned; this story is far from over.

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Israel considers new Gaza offensive as hostage talks weaken

According to a report from Walla cited by The Jerusalem Post, the Israeli military is mulling over what could be the largest civilian displacement in Gaza since the war kicked off. That’s no small potatoes, and it’s got big implications for both the battlefield and the diplomatic chessboard. 

The Post’s Amir Bohbot lays it out: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to huddle with Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir today, Sunday, to hash out what’s next in Gaza, including “potential steps to embark on a wider military operation differing from previous offenses.”

What’s driving this? 

The IDF’s got a ticking clock on hostage negotiations. If those talks don’t break through soon, the military’s gearing up for a broader operation. But here’s where it gets messy: inside the IDF, there’s a split. Some brass want to double down and keep pounding Hamas, while others argue the main goals are already in the bag: Hamas’s military infrastructure is toast, senior commanders (minus Gaza City Brigade Commander Izz al-Din al-Haddad, who’s still on the Shin Bet’s hit list) are gone, tunnels and weapons systems are wrecked, and Israel’s grabbed over half of Gaza’s territory. Oh, and they’ve choked off major smuggling routes from Sinai and the Mediterranean. Not exactly a bad day’s work.

But the hawks in the room aren’t quite ready to pop the champagne. They’re pushing for a full-scale ground maneuver, which would mean a massive civilian evacuation. 

Military sources told Walla that plans are in the works to move Gazans out of key areas, and here’s the kicker: with Hamas at its weakest since seizing Gaza in 2007, “a mass evacuation could turn public sentiment in Gaza against the group’s leadership.” That’s a bold play, but it’s not without risks. 

Urban warfare in Gaza’s tunnel-riddled, fortified neighborhoods would be a meat grinder, with “significant IDF casualties” expected, military officials said. And this wouldn’t be a small operation, with five fully manned divisions and a fresh wave of reserve call-ups under Tzav 8. 

The IDF’s calculus is shaped by recent history, too. A senior defense official, reflecting on Israel’s 12-day clash with Iran, put it bluntly: “The operation in Iran taught Hamas that one must also know when to end fighting.” Hamas, battered and bruised, is reportedly shifting from bullets to backroom diplomacy. But with Israel green-lighting 22 new West Bank settlements amid this Gaza fight and global chatter about a Palestinian state, the pressure’s on. 

Is this the moment to go all-in, or is it time to declare victory and pivot? Netanyahu’s got a tough call ahead, and the world’s watching.

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