US Senator Lindsey Graham lands in Israel, pushes for action on Iran
Lindsey Graham, a pro-Trump lawmaker who is a vocal advocate of US intervention in Iran, says he has travelled to Israel, where is expected to meet with Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders.
In a post on X, Graham said he would see “how we can build upon the momentum created by President Trump” on Iran. He said that Iranians are “right to demand an end to” to the government there in the wake of a deadly crackdown on protests.
“We cannot allow this historic moment to pass,” said Graham.
The Senator’s comments come several days after Trump appeared to soften his rhetoric on Iran, after previously threatening US intervention, and amid reports that Trump had relayed to Iran that he did not plan to attack.
Graham, however, suggested the US administration could still go ahead with an attack, describing reports that Trump had decided otherwise as “beyond inaccurate”.
I just landed in Israel, the one and only Jewish State, and America’s strongest ally and friend since its founding.
If you think I flew all the way to Israel after having not slept much in days to make sure we do not hold the ayatollah’s murderous regime accountable for the…
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 16, 2026
Gaza ceasefire not a success, principle of aid continue to be ignored
Political analyst Xavier Abu Eid says the reality on the ground in Gaza makes it impossible to frame the ceasefire as a political or diplomatic achievement while Palestinians continue to be killed and to die from preventable causes in Gaza.
“I’m certain that no one would dare to claim that there is any sort of diplomatic success if 400 people have been killed in Israel since a ceasefire deal was achieved,” Eid, a former adviser to the Palestine Liberation Organization’s negotiation team, told Al Jazeera, adding that “clearly, phase one has not been implemented”.
“We have people being killed every day in Gaza, some people dying of a cold, and yet, some people are still claiming that there’s a sort of diplomatic success.”
Moreover, Eid said core principles set out by international legal bodies are being ignored, particularly regarding unconditional humanitarian access.
“The International Court of Justice had already established … for example, that humanitarian aid should not be conditioned … and Israel continues to condition it,” he added.
