KOENIG

U.S. President Donald Trump met with Syria’s President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Wednesday, the first time a U.S. President met with a Syrian president in 25 years.

While Israel has signaled its opposition to granting legitimacy to Syria's new government, Trump pointedly called Sharaa to make peace with the Jewish State and to deport Palestinian terrorists from his country.

The closed-doors meeting came before a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Riyadh, and Trump and Sharaa were joined by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

US President Donald Trump told Gulf leaders on Wednesday that he urgently wants “to make a deal” with Iran to wind down its nuclear program, but that Tehran must end its support of proxy groups throughout the region as part of any potential agreement.

Iran “must stop sponsoring terror, halt its bloody proxy wars, and permanently and verifiably cease pursuit of nuclear weapons,” Trump said in remarks at a meeting of leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council hosted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh. “They cannot have a nuclear weapon.”

The US and Iran have engaged in four rounds of talks since early last month, focused on Iran’s nuclear program. Trump has repeatedly said he believes brokering a deal is possible, but that the window is closing.

At the start of last week, the Israeli Air Force struck targets in Yemen, Lebanon, and Syria (plus Gaza) within several hours, once again demonstrating its considerable abilities to strike multiple targets at great distances - a clear message to Iran.

President Donald Trump is embarking this week on a high-stakes tour of the Persian Gulf region, targeting business deals and strategic partnerships with three oil-rich nations: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

The trip marks Trump's first major foreign visit of his new term and comes as nuclear negotiations with Iran drag on and as war continues between Israel and the Palestinian terror organization, Hamas, in the Gaza Strip. While business is the official focus, the backdrop is anything but calm.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the mission as part of Trump’s broader vision that "extremism is defeated [through] commerce and cultural exchanges."

Karim Khan, the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor, hoped that issuing arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant would make the West turn against Israel, a senior Western diplomat with firsthand knowledge of the ICC case has told The Jerusalem Post in an exclusive interview.

He recalled a conversation he had with Khan last year, where Khan allegedly said: “You just wait and see. If I apply for warrants against Netanyahu, this would give countries like Germany and Canada the excuse they need to turn against the Israeli government.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a call with coalition party chiefs on Monday, reportedly trying to assure them that Israel wasn’t going to agree to end the war before Hamas is defeated after he agreed to a request from the Trump administration to send a negotiating team to Doha in order to jumpstart long-stalled hostage negotiations with the terror group.

Netanyahu agreed to the US request after meeting with US special envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff and holding a brief phone call with US President Donald Trump after Hamas released American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander after he spent 584 days in captivity. Hamas released Alexander in what has been characterized as a gesture of goodwill to Trump after the group received assurances from a third-party mediator that the step would go a long way with Washington, opening the door to the administration potentially coaxing Israel to end the war in Gaza.

But Netanyahu told coalition partners that he won’t budge from his refusal to end the war before Hamas’s military and governing capabilities have been dismantled, according to multiple Hebrew media reports.

Pope Leo XIV’s brother Louis Prevost has said he “likes to stir the pot” and “throw things out there” on social media “a lot like I think President Trump does.”

Prevost has in recent years posted and reshared comments and memes online that might be expected of a MAGA and Donald Trump supporter.

But the new pontiff’s brother does plan to rein it in for the good of the Vatican.

“I don’t need to create heat for him, he’s going to have enough to handle as it is without the press going ‘the Pope’s brother says this’,” Prevost said, adding that he has already been “very quiet, biting my tongue at some of the stuff that is out there.”

Avigdor Liberman, leader of Israel’s opposition Yisrael Beiteinu Party, on Monday denounced the Trump administration’s plan to let aid supplies into the Gaza Strip as a “very, very negative development.”

“In my opinion, humanitarian aid—of any kind—should not have been allowed to enter since the start of the war, as long as our hostages are rotting in Hamas’s tunnels,” Liberman stated in response to a question from JNS at his party’s faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem.

“We just need to say it out loud to everyone and stand by it,” Liberman said. “You want humanitarian aid? First, return the hostages, then we’ll talk. And therefore, for me, this is a very, very negative development.”

A fourth round of talks between the US and Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme have taken place in Oman, with both sides agreeing to meet again.

US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff said the discussions in Muscat were encouraging, while Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described them as "difficult but useful".

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a test of a short-range ballistic missile and long-range artillery on Thursday and stressed the importance of combat readiness of the country's nuclear forces, state media reported on Friday.

The test, which also included an inspection of the operational reliability of its "nuclear trigger" system, was designed to ensure the rapid response posture to counter the sensitive regional military climate, KCNA news agency said.

The meeting between US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman upon his arrival in Saudi Arabia will also include Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, according to multiple Palestinian reports. 

The defining foreign policy feature of U.S. President Donald Trump’s first term was Israel’s integration into the larger Middle East, but as the president is set to visit Riyadh, Doha and Abu Dhabi this week, some experts say that it’s apt that the Jewish state is lower down on the agenda.

“It’s mainly a Gulf visit, targeting certain goals that have to do with Arab Gulf countries in particular and not about the Middle East in general,” Dalia Ziada, senior research and diplomacy fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, told JNS.

With reports that the Trump administration is pursuing a civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia that is no longer contingent on Riyadh normalizing ties with Jerusalem, the push for Israeli-Saudi normalization may be faltering.

In what may be the most valuable gift ever extended to the United States from a foreign government, the Trump administration is preparing to accept a super luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar -- a gift that is to be available for use by President Donald Trump as the new Air Force One until shortly before he leaves office, at which time ownership of the plane will be transferred to the Trump presidential library foundation, sources familiar with the proposed arrangement told ABC News.

The gift is expected to be announced next week, when Trump visits Qatar on the first foreign trip of his second term, according to sources familiar with the plans.

Trump toured the plane, which is so opulently configured it is known as "a flying palace," while it was parked at the West Palm Beach International Airport in February.

President Donald Trump will depart on a high-stakes Middle East tour this week designed to secure Gulf investment, advance Gaza ceasefire efforts, and confront Iran’s nuclear ambitions as Tehran hardens its position and Washington draws clear redlines.

According to Iran International, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei endorsed chants of “Death to America” at a workers’ rally in Tehran on Saturday, declaring that “Americans fully support Israel” and portraying Israel’s campaign in Gaza as part of a broader Western war effort.

Reuters reported that in Doha, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi warned state media that if Washington’s aim is to deprive Iran of its “nuclear rights,” Tehran “will not back down from any of its rights,” underscoring that peaceful uranium enrichment remains non-negotiable.

There will not be nuclear weapons in Iran, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said in a Saturday interview with Channel 12.

"Military action depends on them [Iran], in whether or not they believe in taking President [Donald] Trump seriously. There won't be a deal that involves Iran with nuclear capacity," he added.

US Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff echoed similar sentiments in an interview with Breitbart on Friday. "The enrichment program can never exist in Iran, never. That's our red line," he said. He also said that its three enrichment facilities must be dismantled.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reaffirmed to the recently appointed vice chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee, Hussein al-Sheikh, during a meeting this week that Riyadh will not agree to normalize relations with Israel until the war in Gaza ends and a pathway toward the establishment of a Palestinian state has been established, Sky News Arabia reports, citing an unnamed Palestinian source.

The Palestinian source also reveals that Saudi Arabia will resume financial aid to the Palestinian Authority and will announce the decision during an annual summit of Arab leaders that will be held later this month in Baghdad.

Separately, the Kan public broadcaster reports that Riyadh has sent messages to the Trump administration warning the US president against making any surprise announcements during his trip to the region next week that might embarrass the kingdom.

US President Donald Trump met Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer on Thursday and discussed the nuclear talks with Iran and the Israel-Hamas War, Axios reported, citing two sources briefed on the meeting.

The meeting was held at the White House, which was not made public by the US or Israel, according to Axios.

Dermer met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday and had several meetings in the White House, including one with Trump on Thursday, Axios reported.

As President Donald Trump prepares for the first major foreign trip to the Middle East of his second term, some administration officials have privately turned to a familiar face for help navigating the region: Jared Kushner.

The president’s son-in-law, who served as a chief Middle East negotiator in Trump’s first term and built deep relationships with leaders in the region, has been informally advising administration officials on negotiations with Arab leaders, multiple Trump administration officials and people close to Kushner tell CNN. Though Kushner is unlikely to join Trump on the trip, he has been heavily involved in discussions with Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, about signing agreements that would normalize diplomatic relations with Israel, the sources said.

The president’s top priority next week is to procure “economic agreements” with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates...

The United States is no longer demanding Saudi Arabia normalize ties with Israel as a condition for progress on civil nuclear cooperation talks, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to Riyadh next week.

Dropping the demand that Saudi Arabia establish diplomatic relations with Israel would be a major concession by Washington. Under former US president Joe Biden, nuclear talks were an element of a wider US-Saudi deal tied to normalization and Riyadh’s goal of a defense treaty with Washington.

A senior United States official has reportedly warned that Washington could move forward with its deal with Saudi Arabia without Israeli involvement, unless Israel changes course, according to Israeli media.

U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said on Monday that there could be “great progress” in advancing the Abraham Accords by next year...

“There are many efforts underway—humanitarian aid initiatives for Gaza, which we applaud, the expansion of the Abraham Peace Accords, which we think will have some or a lot of announcements very, very shortly, which we hope will yield great progress by next year, and discussions on regional challenges in the Middle East like Syria, Lebanon and of course Iran, and we agree that they shall never get a nuclear weapon,” he said.

[WWD Note: What might going on behind the scenes that is not being reported publicly?]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stern warning to Hamas on Thursday, declaring that the “rules are about to change” as the IDF prepares to expand its offensive in the Gaza Strip.

“To Hamas, I say one thing: The rules are about to change very soon,” Netanyahu said during a visit to reservists of the IDF’s 5th “HaSharon” Infantry Brigade at the Tze’elim training base in the Negev.

“I came to see firsthand the quality of our soldiers—our heroes—in preparation for the intense action we are about to undertake in Gaza,” he said in remarks released by the Prime Minister’s Office.

The Vatican announced the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, shortly after white smoke began pouring from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Thursday. [He was born in Chicago.]

Cardinal Protodeacon Dominique Mamberti announced Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost's election as pope to the thousands of faithful who descended on St. Peter's Square.

The 133 voting cardinals deliberated in the Sistine Chapel for roughly 24 hours.

Pope Leo XIV succeeds the late Pope Francis, who died at age 88 on April 21 following health challenges.

• An F/A-18 fighter jet went overboard after trying to land on the USS Harry S. Truman on Tuesday.

• It's the second Super Hornet the Truman has lost in just over a week and the third of this deployment.

• F/A-18s are estimated to cost roughly $60 million apiece.

Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Wednesday that his government is engaged in indirect talks with Israel aimed at de-escalating tensions between the two countries, following a series of Israeli airstrikes in the wake of Bashar al-Assad’s ouster.

“There are indirect talks taking place through mediators to calm the situation and try to contain it so it does not spiral out of control,” Sharaa said at a press conference in Paris alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, according to Agence France Presse.

“Random Israeli interventions … have violated the 1974” armistice, said Sharaa, adding that “since we arrived in Damascus, we have told all relevant parties that Syria is committed to the 1974 agreement.”

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a sharp warning on Thursday morning in response to the recent escalation by Iranian-backed Houthi forces, declaring that “Israel must be able to defend itself independently against any threat and any enemy.”

In a statement posted in Hebrew on X, Katz wrote: “The Houthis will absorb heavy blows from Israel if they continue firing toward us. The IDF is prepared for any mission.”

Israeli troops are set to “act with great force” until all war goals for Gaza, including the defeat of Hamas and securing the release of every hostage, are achieved, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on Wednesday.

The entire population of the Gaza Strip will be evacuated to the southern part of the enclave during the fighting, and the Israel Defense Force will stay in “every area that is taken,” the defense minister said.

“The operation is intended to defeat Hamas and bring about the release of all the hostages. We will act with great force to destroy all of Hamas’s military and governmental capabilities,” he told soldiers of the IDF’s 162nd “Steel Formation” Armored Division, which is expected to take part in the ground campaign, dubbed “Operation Gideon’s Chariots.”

A fourth round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States is likely to take place over the weekend in the capital of Oman, with Iranian state media pointing to May 11 as a probable date.

Cautioning that the timing has not yet been finalized, an Iranian source close to the negotiating team tells Reuters: “The talks will take place over two days in Muscat, either on Saturday and Sunday or Sunday and Monday.”

Initially scheduled for May 3 in Rome, the fourth round of negotiations was postponed with mediator Oman citing “logistical reasons.”

In the wake of Israel’s massive attack Tuesday on Sana’a International Airport — along with several power stations and a concrete factory — Iran was warned that it, too, will bear the consequences of the missile attacks on Israel by its Yemeni proxy, the Houthis.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday following the Israeli airstrikes that whoever harms the Jewish State will themselves be struck.