‘Is Netanyahu Making a Final Push to Restart Iran War?’ Israeli Intelligence Chief’s US Visit Sparks Buzz

November 13, 2026

Washington: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pressuring US President Donald Trump to restart military strikes against Iran as Mossad Director Roman Gofman heads to Washington for top level meetings.

During Gofman’s trip which includes meeting with the head of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John Ratcliffe, he will also travel to Miami to meet White House envoy Steve Witkoff, Axios reported, citing three sources.

The trip comes as Netanyahu pushes hard to get Trump to resume military strikes against Tehran, but Trump has so far refused as he wants to pursue diplomacy.

The events come as Netanyahu’s coalition government lost its majority after Israel’s election on October 27. His opponent Gadi Eisenkot has been charged with forming the new government.

Netanyahu Pressures Trump To Restart Military Strikes

Netanyahu has tried to persuade Trump to restart military strikes against Iran. But so far Trump has preferred to pursue diplomacy with Tehran.

In a telephone conversation on November 5 between the two, Netanyahu was trying to persuade Trump to resume military actions against Iran, however, Trump wanted to pursue diplomacy, Israeli broadcaster N12 reported.

Trump has been considering whether to launch new military strikes, negotiate a deal with Iran or continue with current actions such as naval blockades and sanctions.

He has also endorsed the continuation of economic pressure on Tehran with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Previous Reports Of Netanyahu Planning Operation Against Iran

The news comes after previous reports that Netanyahu and Gofman were planning an operation against Iran just before Israel’s October 27 election.

Gofman backed Netanyahu’s plans but several senior security officials were opposed to the strike, fearing it would cause a broader conflict with Iran and delay the election, Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reported.

It also claimed the US became aware of the plans and prevented the strike.

However, Netanyahu’s office denied this, saying, “The Prime Minister himself made it clear in real time that an attack before the elections in Israel is not on the agenda.”

It was also previously reported by Channel 12 that Netanyahu had a disagreement with Israeli Defence Forces Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir. Zamir wanted to continue negotiations and obtain official paperwork to carry out the operation.

Later, Netanyahu denied the reports, calling them “nonsense”.

Netanyahu Faced With New Challenge As Eisenkot Charged With Forming Government

As Netanyahu faces a new challenge, his coalition government lost its majority in the October 27 election.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has officially charged Netanyahu’s opponent Gadi Eisenkot to form the next government. Eisenkot has 28 days to form a coalition government, but this can be extended by two weeks. It remains to be seen if Eisenkot will have enough backing.

The uncertainty has caused concern among Netanyahu’s opponents that he may wish to resume military actions against Iran. Some opposition figures fear that Netanyahu may try to escalate tensions to hinder Eisenkot’s attempts to form a government. However, this does not confirm that Netanyahu is planning any military actions.

Netanyahu Briefs Eisenkot On Iran Situation

Netanyahu met with Eisenkot for two hours and gave him a briefing on the situation.

A source close to Eisenkot said that there was no reason to carry out any immediate military actions.

Mossad, CIA and the White House had no comment to make on Gofman’s visit to Washington.