Trump Blocked Israeli Strike on Iran Before Elections

In this episode

The stories Maya and Daniel cover, in order. Each one opens the full story.

1. Trump Blocked Israeli Strike on Iran Before Elections
2. Israel's Central Bank Holds Rates, Urges Fiscal Prudence for Next Government
3. Smotrich Offers Vinter Ministerial Posts to Withdraw from Elections
4. Jerusalem Police Detain Couple in Dead Newborn Case
5. AIPAC Shifts Strategy, Ending Direct Candidate Donations
6. IDF and Shin Bet Eliminate Hamas Terrorist Responsible for Tank Crew Deaths

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Transcript

Maya

Israel was ready to strike Iran, and according to the reports, President Trump said not yet.

Daniel

And it was a major strike, held back by the calendar of American politics.

Maya

This is Good Morning, Israel from baba News. It's Thursday, October twenty-second. I'm Maya.

Daniel

And I'm Daniel.

Maya

Daniel, all week we've been following that quiet visit from Washington. Now we hear about a strike that didn't happen. What's new?

Daniel

According to the reports, Israel planned a major strike on Iran, and U S President Donald Trump stopped it ahead of the American midterm elections.

Maya

So Washington's calendar beat Jerusalem's.

Daniel

For now. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had pushed for the attack. The targets were Iranian infrastructure, including nuclear infrastructure.

Maya

Why would the timing matter so much to Trump?

Daniel

A big Middle East operation weeks before Americans vote carries risk for any President. Oil prices, retaliation, American forces in the region. That kind of thing.

Maya

And Israel has its own vote coming.

Daniel

Right, next Tuesday, October twenty-seventh. The I D F remains on high alert in the meantime.

Maya

And the jets. That wasn't a quiet week either.

Daniel

No. Dozens of Israeli fighter jets flew an unusual operational mission toward Iran's border, over Syria and Iraq, then back home. It was framed as a show of force.

Maya

And the timing there was pointed too.

Daniel

It came during the visit we told you about, by Pete Hegseth, the top U S defense official. Netanyahu repeated his directive to bring down the Iranian regime, and Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Iran against attacking Israel.

Maya

So the strike is on hold, but the message isn't.

Daniel

Exactly. And all this comes amid reports of talks between the U S and Iran, and a visit to Tehran by Russia's Foreign Minister.

Maya

How's the region taking it?

Daniel

Mixed. Some regional leaders condemned Israeli policy. Others back Netanyahu's stand against Iran, a regime that arms and funds terrorists on Israel's borders.

Maya

So what comes next?

Daniel

The question is whether "not before the midterms" becomes "after the midterms." That's what Jerusalem will be watching.

Maya

To the economy now. The Bank of Israel kept rates steady.

Daniel

The central bank held its interest rate at three point two five percent, the last decision before the election.

Maya

And the Governor had a message for whoever wins.

Daniel

Governor Amir Yaron warned the next government to balance defense spending with fiscal discipline. Bring down debt, fund security, invest in infrastructure, and push reforms that boost growth.

Maya

All at once. No pressure.

Daniel

That's the job. And on Monday we told you about billions of shekels shifted from civilian ministries to defense. This is the central bank saying, watch the bill.

Maya

Any good news in there?

Daniel

Some. The bank raised its growth forecast for the year to five point six percent.

Maya

That's a healthy number.

Daniel

It is, with a caveat. The bank says much of it comes from production overseas by Israeli companies. So the economy inside the country may be doing less well than the headline suggests.

Maya

Back to the campaign, and an offer you're meant to say yes to.

Daniel

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who heads the Religious Zionism party, has offered Ofer Winter ministerial posts if Winter pulls his party out of the race.

Maya

Which posts?

Daniel

A ministerial role in the Defense Ministry, plus new bodies created for him. One would deal with emigration from Gaza, the other with integrating the ultra-Orthodox, or Haredim.

Maya

And Winter doesn't need a Knesset seat for any of that.

Daniel

Right. In Israel a minister doesn't have to be a member of the Knesset, the parliament.

Maya

Why is Smotrich so keen?

Daniel

The electoral threshold. A party needs a minimum share of the vote to enter the Knesset. Smotrich cites polling, and past elections, warning that Winter's party may not get over it.

Maya

And votes for a party that falls short are simply lost.

Daniel

Exactly. On the right, that could cost the whole bloc. Smotrich is calling for political responsibility and partnership on shared security goals.

Maya

Did anyone else lean on him?

Daniel

The offer came after Netanyahu and Smotrich met Winter's spiritual mentor.

Maya

So the rabbi got the call before the candidate did.

Daniel

That's often how it works in that part of Israeli politics.

Maya

From Gaza now, where the I D F and the Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service, say they've taken out a senior Hamas terrorist.

Daniel

Musa Abd Muhammad Hamuda, a member of Hamas's Nukhba force. He was eliminated in Gaza City on Sunday.

Maya

And he's linked to a specific loss.

Daniel

He was. According to the I D F, he planned the attack that killed four Israeli soldiers on September eighth, twenty twenty-five, a tank crew.

Maya

Who carried out the strike?

Daniel

The two hundred and fifteenth Fire Brigade, part of the one hundred and sixty-second Division. The same division that commanded those four soldiers.

Maya

That's not a coincidence anyone will miss.

Daniel

No. The I D F says Hamuda had been systematically targeting Israeli forces and had recently advanced new terror plans. So this was also about preventing the next attack.

Maya

A difficult story from Jerusalem now.

Daniel

Police arrested a man and his wife on Wednesday, October twenty-first. They're suspected of leaving a dead newborn at Shaare Zedek Medical Center, one of Jerusalem's major hospitals.

Maya

How were they found?

Daniel

The man was found at a local synagogue. His wife was located shortly after. Both are Jerusalem residents, in their thirties and forties.

Maya

And the why?

Daniel

Still unknown. Police say the investigation into the circumstances and the motive is continuing.

Maya

To Washington, and a change at one of Israel's best-known allies.

Daniel

AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, is the biggest pro-Israel lobby in the U S. It's ending direct endorsements and fundraising for congressional candidates, a practice it started five years ago.

Maya

Is it pulling back from elections?

Daniel

Not entirely. It'll keep its super PAC, the United Democracy Project, which can spend unlimited sums.

Maya

So the big money stays.

Daniel

Right. The leadership says it'll now focus on getting individual Americans to give directly to candidates, going back to its earlier model.

Maya

Why now?

Daniel

It comes as Israel is becoming more of a partisan issue in American politics. For Israel, bipartisan support in Congress has always been a key asset, and this looks like an attempt to protect it.

Maya

And finally, something that will actually move people. Tel Aviv's metro.

Daniel

The Transport Ministry has approved construction of Israel's first metro station, in Ariel Sharon Park, a large park just east of Tel Aviv.

Maya

First station. That's a milestone.

Daniel

It is. The underground work will take about twenty-five months, with environmental safeguards. And a tender for five more stations and tunnel shafts is expected soon.

Maya

What's the full price?

Daniel

The M three line is part of a sixty-five billion shekel program.

Maya

Which brings us back to Governor Yaron and his wish for infrastructure.

Daniel

At least one item on his list is getting dug.

Maya

Something to watch before the weekend: whether Ofer Winter takes Smotrich's offer. With the vote on Tuesday, he doesn't have long to decide.

Daniel

Follow Good Morning, Israel so tomorrow's episode is waiting for you.

Maya

See you tomorrow morning.