Meeting Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago on Monday, President Trump pressed for the second phase of the Gaza peace plan, emphasising Hamas disarmament while issuing stark warnings to Tehran
President Donald Trump on Monday said he will push to initiate the second phase of the Gaza peace plan “as quickly as we can,” speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside his Florida estate ahead of their meeting on the issue.
At the same time, Trump issued a stern warning to Iran, saying the United States would act if Tehran attempts to rebuild its ballistic missile programme or nuclear capabilities.
“Very quickly, as quickly as we can, but there has to be a disarmament, we have to disarm with Hamas,” CNN quoted Trump as saying outside Mar-a-Lago, referring to the next steps in Gaza, more than two months after signing the initial peace agreement in Egypt.
The second phase of the plan focuses on Hamas’ disarmament, the start of reconstruction, and the establishment of post-war governance in Gaza.
Central to the effort is the creation of a “Board of Peace” to oversee administration of the enclave, which will be led by Trump and other world leaders.
When asked about the timeline for Gaza’s reconstruction, the president said it is “going to begin pretty soon.”
Turning to Iran, Trump warned that any attempt to rebuild ballistic missile capabilities would be met with immediate military action.
“I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are, we’re going to have to knock them down,” CNN quoted Trump as saying.
“We’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them,” he added.
He also threatened strikes if Iran redevelops its nuclear programme, urging Tehran to negotiate with the US instead.
“That’s smarter. They could have made a deal the last time before we went through, you know, a big attack on them,” he said.
Earlier this year, the US conducted airstrikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran, which Trump has described as a major military success.
Netanyahu has recently warned that Iran is expanding its ballistic missile programme and is expected to press Trump for further action.
Earlier, Netanyahu also met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and, in another meeting, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Florida.
With inputs from agencies
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