Newly revealed documentary footage obtained by the Wall Street Journal shows that the late Senator Lindsey Graham planned to fly to Florida in early March to urge President Trump to join Israeli strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vetoed the plan in a phone call, saying the move would be too far-reaching while the war against Iran was ongoing and could risk unrestricted escalation.
The revelation, first reported by The Zioneer at 14:46 Jerusalem, comes from a documentary filmed over the past years covering Senator Lindsey Graham's life. According to the Wall Street Journal, which obtained excerpts, Graham planned to fly to Florida in early March to personally lobby President Trump to authorize U.S. participation in Israeli strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. Before the trip, however, he spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu firmly opposed the idea, telling Graham: 'We are focused right now on Iran.' He argued that a wide-scale Israeli strike against Hezbollah could deter the group, but actually carrying it out would give Hezbollah 'no reason not to go all the way against us,' which was not in Israel's interest at the time. The exchange underscores the strategic calculus of the Netanyahu government in early 2026, as the war against Iran remained the primary front. Graham, a senior Republican senator and a staunch ally of Israel, died in July 2026. The documentary's full release has not been announced.
3 developments
- StrongNetanyahu: Hezbollah will pay 'heavy price,' IDF instructed to strike with 'immense force'
- DevelopingNetanyahu: Lebanon choosing future with Israel, not Hezbollah and Iran
- DevelopingNetanyahu vows response to Hezbollah rocket fire but drops Beirut strike pledge
- DevelopingNetanyahu acknowledges Israel's operational constraints in southern Lebanon
Source and signal
- Open-source intake