The president was deeply troubled about the prospect, a source familiar with the meeting told CNN. “The truth is only President Trump knows what he’s going to do, and a very, very small team of advisors are read in to his thinking on that,” she said. The message carried added weight for the president, given Netanyahu’s past entreaties to Trump to join in Israeli military action against Iran. A day later, however, Trump seemed convinced by messages from Iran that plans to put protesters to death were off. The US military is moving a carrier strike group to the region, according to a source familiar the matter.

Source: CNN January 16, 2026 00:36 UTC