What we covered
• Gaza ceasefire plan: President Donald Trump praised his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida but acknowledged disagreements remain over the occupied West Bank. Trump also said Hamas “will be given a very short period of time” to disarm to move to the second phase of his Gaza peace plan and that Israel has “100%” lived up to the plan.
• Ukraine war talks: Trump held a “positive call” with Russian President Vladimir Putin today, after his meeting yesterday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump said he was “very angry” about an alleged Ukrainian attack on one of Putin’s residences, though he conceded it was possible the allegation was false.
• US-Venezuela tensions: Trump offered scant details today about an operation he said took out a “big facility” in Venezuela last week. He didn’t specify whether the US military conducted the operation.
Our live coverage has ended. Read takeaways from the Trump and Netanyahu meeting here.
Trump and Netanyahu met in Florida today. Catch up on key lines from their remarks to reporters
US President Donald Trump met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The meeting was expected to focus on the next phase of Trump’s ceasefire plan for Gaza as the US president doubles down on big foreign policy bets in an end-of-the-year flurry.
While welcoming Netanyahu, Trump told reporters he will try to get the plan’s second phase started “as quickly as we can.”
Here’s what we learned from the leaders’ remarks to reporters before and after the meeting:
• Timeline: Trump told reporters after the meeting that Hamas “will be given a very short period of time” to disarm and warned if it doesn’t happen, then other countries who have backed the ceasefire plan “will go and wipe them out. They don’t even need Israel.” Trump also hailed a productive meeting with Netanyahu but acknowledged their differing views on how to approach settler violence in the occupied West Bank. The US president said he is “not concerned” about Israel’s actions, including the speed by which it is moving to phase two of the plan.
• Israel’s domestic politics runs parallel: Netanyahu also heaped praise on Trump ahead of the meeting as experts tell CNN that their good relationship will be central to the Israeli leader’s reelection campaign strategy. Trump reiterated his support for Netanyahu’s pardon request, claiming that Israel’s president told him clemency is “on its way.” But Isaac Herzog’s office issued a statement saying there has been no such conversation.
• Iran: Trump also threatened to back another strike against Iran if it tries to rebuild its ballistic missile program.
• Alleged strike on Putin residence: The US president said he held a “postive call” with Vladimir Putin today, a day after his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump said the Russian president told him that a Ukrainian drone attack allegedly targeting one of his residences. Trump said the move was “not good,” even as Kyiv immediately rejected the allegation.
• Scant details on Venezuela: Trump offered scant details on an operation he said took out a “big facility” in Venezuela last week, but said that “there was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs.” Trump declined to say whether it was executed by the US military or by another US entity such as the CIA.
CNN’s Tal Shalev, Lauren Kent, Adam Cancryn, Kevin Liptak, Samantha Waldenberg and Donald Judd contributed reporting for this post.
US conducts strike against alleged drug-trafficking boat, killing 2, US Southern Command says
The US military conducted a strike against an alleged drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean today, killing two people, according to US Southern Command.
No US service members were harmed, SOUTHCOM added in its post on X.
At least 107 people have now been killed in strikes on suspected drug boats as part of a campaign, dubbed Operation Southern Spear, that the Trump administration has said is aimed at curtailing narcotics trafficking.
Netanyahu announces that Trump will receive Israel Prize for Peace award
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday that US President Donald Trump will receive the Israel Prize for Peace, marking the first time the country’s highest civilian excellence honor will be awarded to a non-Israeli citizen.
Trump called the award “really surprising and very much appreciated.”
A senior Israeli official told CNN that Education Minister Yoav Kisch joined Trump and Netanyahu’s meeting by phone to inform Trump of the honor, and the US president indicated he would positively consider attending the ceremony, held annually on Israel’s Independence Day.
Some background: The Israel Prize is the highest Israeli civilian honor granted for excellence in science, humanities, arts, and other fields. The Peace category, which the government decided to award Trump, has never been granted before. The Israel Prize has also never been awarded to a non-Israeli citizen or resident. In July 2025, Education Minister Kisch amended the prize regulations to allow, for the first time, granting it to a foreign citizen.
Netanyahu’s government is also supportive of Trump’s candidacy for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana recently partnered with US House Speaker Mike Johnson on a global parliamentary campaign urging lawmakers worldwide to support Trump’s nomination for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump says he is “not concerned” about Israel's actions
President Donald Trump said Monday that he is “not concerned” about Israel’s actions, including the speed by which it is moving to phase two of the Gaza peace plan.
“Israel has lived up to the plan, 100%,” the president added.
Some context: The US has been pushing to move quickly into the next phase of the Gaza peace plan, but Israel has been reluctant to further withdraw from the enclave without Hamas disarming.
That has created tension with some White House advisers, who believe Netanyahu could be slow-walking the move to the next phase, people familiar with the matter previously told CNN.
The second phase of the deal includes Hamas’ disarmament, the beginning of reconstruction and the establishment of post-war governance.
Iran may be using new sites to rebuild missile program, Trump says
President Donald Trump said today that Iran may be trying to rebuild its weapons capabilities at sites that are different than the ones that the US attacked earlier this year.
“I hope Iran is not trying to build up, as I’ve been reading, that they’re building up weapons and other things,” he said. “If they are, they’re not using the sites that we obliterated, but they’re using possibly different sites.”
Standing alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump again warned Iran against rebuilding its ballistic missile program and threatened “very powerful” consequences if the nation proceeds. Trump added that while he doesn’t believe Iran has sought to expand its nuclear capabilities, he worried that it “may be behaving badly,” without offering any more specifics.
“If they are, we’re going to have no choice but very quickly to eradicate that buildup,” he said. “We know exactly where they’re going, what they’re doing, and I hope they’re not doing it.”
Trump added later: “This is just what we hear — usually, where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”
How Iran has responded: We’re hearing from Ali Shamkhani, a top political adviser to the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “Under Iran’s defense doctrine, responses are set before threats materialize. Iran’s #Missile_Capability and defense are not containable or permission-based. Any aggression will face an immediate #Harsh_Response beyond its planners’ imagination,” he wrote on X.
This post has been updated with reaction from Iran.
Trump praises meeting with Netanyahu but hints disagreements remain over West Bank
President Donald Trump hailed a productive meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in remarks to reporters Monday, but acknowledged that despite “very little difference” between the two leaders, they differed on how to approach settler violence in the occupied West Bank.
Pressed on what areas of disagreement remain, Trump told CNN, “I don’t want to do that. It’ll be announced at an appropriate time, but he will do the right thing.”
Some context: The West Bank, which lies west of the Jordan River between Israel and Jordan, has been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967 and is home to more than 3.3 million Palestinians.
While the war in Gaza raged, the West Bank experienced a sharp escalation in Israeli military operations, record numbers of Palestinian home demolitions, and unprecedented expansion of Jewish settlements amid a Palestinian leadership plagued by allegations of corruption and stagnant decision-making.
In September, Trump said he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. Those remarks signaled an alignment with many Western and Arab nations, which have warned that any Israeli annexation of the territory would effectively kill the idea of a Palestinian state.
Israel's Netanyahu calls meeting with Trump "very productive"
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had “a very, very productive meeting” with US President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago and heaped more praise on Trump following their talks.
“Thank you for your support,” Netanyahu said in a joint news conference, adding that Trump has “achieved remarkable things in the Middle East because we work together.”
“We talk about our ideas. Sometimes we have different ideas, but we work it out, and most of the time, we see eye to eye,” the Israeli prime minister added, without elaborating further on the points of disagreement.
Family of last Israeli hostage in Gaza urges Trump's top aides not to advance peace plan
The family of the last Israeli hostage held in Gaza has urged US President Donald Trump’s top aides to not advance the Gaza peace deal until the hostage’s return, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
The family of Ran Gvili met with the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, the forum said.
They also met with President Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara Netanyahu today at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Some background: Gvili was a serving police officer who was killed by Hamas and its allies on October 7, 2023. His body was taken into Gaza, and has become a key sticking point in moving forward with the next phase of Trump’s Gaza peace plan.
Hamas has repeatedly claimed that it cannot locate the body of Gvili, citing extensive destruction in Gaza caused by Israel’s military operations.
Fact check: Trump repeats his false claim that no hostages were released from Gaza under Biden
On Monday, President Donald Trump repeated his false claim that no hostages were released from Gaza during former President Joe Biden’s administration.
“Every hostage, just about, that’s been released was released because of me, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, my whole team – Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth. They were all released because of us. None were released in the Biden administration. None,” Trump said before a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Under Biden, 105 hostages were released by Hamas during a brief November 2023 ceasefire with Israel that was brokered in part by Biden’s team. In addition, Hamas released two US citizens in October 2023.
And 33 hostages, including eight who had died, were released by Hamas early this year – partly under Biden but mostly under Trump – under a ceasefire deal brokered in the final days of Biden’s presidency with significant involvement from Trump’s transition team.
Israeli president's office issues denial after Trump claims Netanyahu’s pardon "on its way"
US President Donald Trump reiterated his support on Monday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pardon request, claiming that Israel’s president told him clemency is “on its way.”
“How do you not give a pardon? He is a wartime prime minister who is a hero,” Trump said alongside Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago. “I spoke with President Isaac Herzog. He tells me it is on its way.”
Trump first publicly advocated for Netanyahu’s pardon during an October Knesset address celebrating the Gaza ceasefire. “Hey, I have an idea, Mr. President — why don’t you give him a pardon?” Trump declared, dismissing the corruption charges as trivial matters involving “cigars and champagne.”
The remarks sparked a campaign that led to Netanyahu’s formal clemency request in November. In an accompanying video, Netanyahu cited Trump’s advocacy, arguing a pardon would “enable both leaders to promote vital interests during a time of fleeting opportunity.”
Netanyahu faces corruption charges on three cases of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in an ongoing trial that has divided Israeli politics for years.
Netanyahu heaps praise on Trump as they begin meeting in Florida
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heavily praised US President Donald Trump as he entered Mar-a-Lago for their meeting on Monday.
“I think Israel is very blessed to have President Trump leading the United States, and I’ll say leading the free world at this time,” Netanyahu added. “I think it’s not merely Israel’s great fortune. I think it’s the world’s great fortune.”
Even as the US administration has grown wary of some of Israel’s actions, Trump also touted their “great relationship” on Monday, arguing that Netanyahu is a “strong man” who has led Israel to be “stronger than ever.” He also said his Israeli counterpart “can be very difficult on occasion.”
For context: Netanyahu is running for reelection in 2026, and political strategists have told CNN that a good relationship with Trump will be central to the Israeli prime minister’s campaign strategy.
Trump and Netanyahu meeting in Florida has started
President Donald Trump’s meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began shortly before 2 p.m. ET today with Trump suggesting to reporters that “a lot of progress” has already been made.
“We made a lot of progress already. We had about a five-minute meeting, and we’ve already settled about three of the difficulties,” the US president said before the press was quickly ushered out. He said earlier that he would discuss about “five major subjects” with Netanyahu during their meeting in South Florida.
The US delegation for Monday’s meeting included several members of the president’s Cabinet and some of his key allies: White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Trump says he was angered by contested allegation that Ukrainian drone targeted a Putin residence
President Donald Trump said that Russian President Vladimir Putin informed him in a Monday morning call of a Ukrainian drone attack allegedly targeting one of his residences, saying the move was “not good,” even as Kyiv immediately rejected the allegation.
“This is not the right time. One thing to be offensive, because they’re offensive. It’s another thing to attack his house,” Trump said, adding, “And I learned about it from President Putin today. I was very angry about it.”
The US president conceded it was “possible” the allegation was false and such an attack had not occurred, then added, “But President Putin told me this morning it did.”
The comments represent Trump’s first remarks on the matter since Russia’s foreign minister made the allegation.
“I just heard about it actually, but I don’t know about it. That would be too bad. That would not be good,” he told reporters ahead of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Trump otherwise described his call with Putin as “productive,” though he said there remain issues to be worked out to brokering a peace deal in Ukraine.
This post was updated with additional comments from President Trump.
Trump offers scant details on operation he claims took out “big facility” for processing drugs in Venezuela
President Donald Trump offered scant details Monday on an operation he said took out a “big facility” in Venezuela last week, but said that “there was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs.”
“So we hit all the boats, and now we hit the area — it’s an implementation area, that’s where they implement, and that is no longer around,” he told reporters in Palm Beach, Florida.
Pressed on whether the US military was behind the operation, Trump declined to say whether it was executed by the military or by another US entity such as the CIA.
“I don’t want to say that,” Trump told CNN. “I know exactly who it was, but I don’t want to say who it was. But you know, it was along the shore.”
Trump first revealed details of the operation during a Friday interview with Republican donor John Catsimatidis. In the interview, he said the US was behind an attack on a “big plant, or a big facility,” telling the radio host, “We knocked that out.”
Trump has been threatening strikes on land in Venezuela for weeks as the US has launched strikes destroying 30 boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. American officials have said previously that targets could include drug production facilities or known trafficking routes as the administration continues its pressure campaign on Venezuela and its leader, Nicolás Maduro.
Trump threatens another attack on Iran if it rebuilds missile program
President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to back another strike against Iran if it tries to rebuild its ballistic missile program.
“I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are, we’re going to have to knock them down,” Trump said ahead of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “We’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them.”
The president added that he would support an attack on Iran “immediately” if it attempts to redevelop its nuclear capability, advising the country to instead seek to a “deal” with the US.
“That’s smarter,” Trump said. “They could have made a deal the last time before we went through, you know, a big attack on them.”
The US earlier this year bombed three nuclear facilities in Iran, in an attack that Trump has since hailed as a major military success. But Netanyahu in recent weeks has warned that Iran is again expanding its ballistic missile program, and is expected to make the case to Trump this week that more action could soon be required.
Trump suggests he will try to get the second phase of Gaza peace plan started "as quickly as we can"
President Donald Trump suggested Monday ahead of his meeting with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he will try to get the second phase of the Gaza peace plan started “as quickly as we can.”
“Very quickly, as quickly as we can, but there has to be a disarmament, we have to disarm with Hamas,” the president told CNN’s Kevin Liptak outside of Mar-a-Lago.
More than two months after Trump traveled to Egypt to sign the Gaza peace agreement, crucial pieces of the deal remain undefined as Israel tightens its military grip on the battered enclave.
The second phase of the deal includes Hamas’ disarmament, the beginning of reconstruction and the establishment of post-war governance. At the center of the new plan for administering Gaza is the creation of a “Board of Peace” to be led by Trump and other world leaders.
Pressed by reporters Monday when the reconstruction in Gaza could begin, the president suggested that it is “going to begin pretty soon.”
CNN’s Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.
Netanyahu arrives at Mar-a-Lago for meeting with Trump
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has just arrived at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, where he will meet with US President Donald Trump.
The pair are expected to discuss the next phase of Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, which involves the disarmament of Hamas, the establishing of new governance in the Gaza Strip and the reconstruction of the enclave, which was decimated in more than two years of war.
Since Israel and Hamas agreed to Trump's ceasefire plan, hundreds of people have died in Gaza
Since Israel and Hamas agreed to implement the first stage of US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan in October, hundreds of people have died in the Gaza Strip.
Nearly 400 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military in the enclave since the ceasefire went into effect, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Many more have died because of heavy rain and cold winter weather, including one baby who died of hypothermia after her family’s tent in Khan Younis, southern Gaza was flooded earlier this month.
Many Palestinians in the enclave have had no choice but to live in tents and makeshift shelters after their homes were destroyed in Israel’s war against Hamas. A United Nations damage assessment back in October found that approximately 81% of all structures in the Gaza Strip were damaged, including an estimated 320,622 housing units.
Since December 10, an estimated 17 buildings have collapsed and more than 42,000 tents or makeshift shelters are estimated to have been damaged, according to United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). At least 235,000 people in Gaza have been affected by this, it said in an update last Friday.
Human rights groups have accused Israel of failing to uphold its commitments regarding the flow of humanitarian aid and blocking essential supplies, like tents, from entering the strip.
Mohammed al-Sawalhi, Tareq El-Helou, Zeena Saifi, Tal Shalev, Jeremy Diamond, Oren Liebermann, Ibrahim Dahman, and Caitlin Danaher contributed to this reporting.
Netanyahu meets with Hegseth in Florida ahead of meeting with Trump
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Florida, according to Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
Images released by the PMO show the pair smiling and shaking hands. Another photograph shows them sitting alongside other officials.
Netanyahu is set to meet with US President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in less than an hour. The leaders are expected to discuss the second phase of Trump’s plan for peace in Gaza.
