Trump allies accuse "Israeli" operatives for pushing US-Iran war

Prominent voices aligned with President Donald Trump are sounding the alarm about what they describe as a coordinated push for war with Iran, pointing fingers at alleged "Israeli" operatives, Middle East Eye (MEE) reported.

In recent broadcasts, right-wing media figures including Tucker Carlson and Clayton Morris have accused unnamed pro-"Israel" actors — and even former Mossad agents — of trying to dismantle what they call the Trump administration’s anti-war wing.

On his show last week, Carlson interviewed Dan Caldwell, a senior Defense Department advisor who was recently dismissed. According to several outlets, Caldwell was accused of leaking classified material regarding Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of encrypted messaging apps. But Carlson offered a different narrative.

“You did make maybe one career mistake by giving on-the-record interviews describing your foreign policy views…that are out of the mainstream among warmongers in Washington,” Carlson said. “Then I read all of a sudden that you are a traitor.”

Meanwhile, Morris — a former Fox News anchor who now hosts the podcast Redacted — claimed that former "Israeli" intelligence agents are targeting key figures in Trump’s Pentagon circle.

“We’ve learned here at Redacted that former Israeli Mossad agents are working overtime on social media and behind the scenes trying to discredit Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth,” Morris said, though he did not name any individuals involved.

These claims highlight a growing rift within Trump’s inner circle, where traditional foreign policy hawks like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz are clashing with isolationist “America First” figures such as White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.

The recent firing of Caldwell and two other high-ranking Pentagon staffers has galvanized isolationist voices who view the moves as part of a broader effort to marginalize Trump’s non-interventionist stance. Their rhetoric against pro-"Israel" figures marks a significant departure from the Republican Party’s longstanding support for the Israeli Occupation.

Some of that criticism has focused on Merav Ceren, who was recently nominated to a key national security role overseeing Iran and the Israeli Occupation. Ceren, born in Haifa and a former official in "Israel’s" Ministry of Defence, drew fire on Morris’s show.

“Neo-con Mike Waltz has now hired basically a dual citizen and former IDF official to work under him,” Morris said.

The controversy comes amid shifting public attitudes toward "Israel", especially after the Oct. 7, 2023 events on southern "Israel" and the ensuing war in Gaza. A Pew survey from April showed that 53 percent of Americans now hold an unfavorable view of "Israel" — up sharply from 42 percent in 2022. The drop in support is especially pronounced among younger Republicans, many of whom follow alternative media outlets like those hosted by Morris and Carlson.

The internal divisions come at a time when Trump is trying to strike a balance between his tough-on-Iran reputation and his vow to avoid new military entanglements in the Middle East. That balancing act has led to mixed messaging from his closest foreign policy aides.

Earlier this month, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff suggested the US might tolerate low-level uranium enrichment in Iran. Following criticism from pro-"Israel" advocates, Witkoff reversed course, declaring that Iran must “stop and eliminate” its enrichment activities entirely.

Secretary Rubio offered a potential compromise this week, indicating the US could rejoin a deal allowing Iran to maintain a civilian nuclear program, provided it imports enriched uranium from abroad.

Meanwhile, American and Iranian negotiators met for a third round of discussions in Oman on Saturday. On Monday, Trump sounded optimistic.

“A deal is going to be made there,” he told reporters. “We’ll have something without having to start dropping bombs all over the place.”