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Congress probe could put ‘Israel’ in dock over Iran war: Israeli media

Al Mayadeen | November 11, 2026

The prospect of a Democratic takeover of Congress in January 2027 is raising the possibility of a sweeping investigation into the Trump administration’s decision to wage war on Iran, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu potentially facing scrutiny over reports that he pushed US President Donald Trump into the war.

As Republican lawmakers question War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s handling of the war amid rising impeachment calls, Israeli website Zman Yisrael has warned that the political fallout could put “Israel” in the dock, as it faces congressional scrutiny.

Republican divisions deepen

Republican Representative Thomas Massie, who lost his party’s primary election and whose term in Congress is expected to end in January 2027, submitted articles of impeachment to remove Hegseth last Monday.

The impeachment resolution contains eight articles, centered on the Trump administration’s waging of war on Iran without the approval of Congress, as the Constitution requires.

It also notes that the administration continued the war even after the expiry of the sixty days, after which obtaining the approval of both the House of Representatives and the Senate becomes mandatory in order to continue the fighting.

But the proceedings alone are not what threatens Hegseth. The fundamental problem facing him and other senior Trump administration officials lies in the House committees, which will begin investigating the decision-making process during the months that preceded the war on Iran.

US intelligence assessments under scrutiny ahead of public hearings

The Israeli website acknowledged that “the United States and Israel did not achieve their unofficial goal, which was toppling the Iranian regime.” Instead, the battle plunged Washington into a series of crises: a sharp rise in energy prices, a jump in consumer goods prices, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz (which had been open until the outbreak of the war), and fatal damage to US infrastructure and bases in the region, in addition to harm to US allies in the Gulf.

It said, “It is true that US President Donald Trump, as well as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have repeated in public statements the claim that they triumphed, defeated, eliminated, and destroyed, but it is likely that, with the exception of Hegseth, no one in the world believed it.”

It warned that the repercussions of the deliberations in Congress could be grave for “Israel”. In the first phase, which is taking place this week against the backdrop of Massie’s proposal, no hearings or committee deliberations will be held, and no investigation of Hegseth is expected. But starting in January, with the majority changing hands in both chambers, “Israel may find itself in the dock,” according to the website.

‘Netanyahu dragged Trump into war’

Although members of the House of Representatives, and possibly senators later on, do not have the authority to compel officials of the Israeli administration to testify, they are expected to question US officials about the intelligence that their Israeli counterparts provided to them.

Democratic Representative Gregory Meeks, who is expected to assume the chairmanship of the Foreign Affairs Committee, has already pledged to launch an in-depth investigation into the Trump administration’s decision-making process before going to war.

Where could all of this drag “Israel”? An extensive New York Times investigation revealed what transpired behind closed doors between Netanyahu and Trump during the private meeting held on February 11, 2026, a little more than two weeks before the war began.

The investigation described Netanyahu as the person who dragged Trump into the war, despite several public statements by the president in which he said he had made the decision himself and that no one had pushed him to do so.

Later, the newspaper’s two White House correspondents, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, published the book “Regime Change,” in which they detailed that US intelligence had been highly skeptical of the presentation Netanyahu delivered at the White House and that CIA Director John Ratcliffe described some of the ideas concerning toppling the Iranian regime as “a farce”.

When the going gets tough, Rubio flips

These issues are expected to be put on the table in public hearings before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Senior Trump administration officials will be asked to answer pointed questions: Why did Washington assess that the Iranian system would collapse? What was the intelligence that led to the war based on? And other questions. Such proceedings are expected to be wholly uncomfortable for the Israeli side.

And if that were not enough, Trump himself has joined, in recent days, the voices saying that the war on Iran inflicted one of the Republican Party’s biggest political defeats.

In addition, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a politician known for his clearly pro-“Israel” positions, addressed the day before yesterday the halting of security aid to “Israel”.

He said, “Israel is a rich enough country, and they can buy weapons from us, but we will not fund that.”

The prospect of a congressional investigation into the Trump administration’s decision to wage war on Iran adds to the growing political pressure on the White House, as divisions within the Republican Party deepen and opposition to renewed military action gains ground.

Against this backdrop, Haaretz has reported that Trump’s room for maneuver has narrowed considerably, leaving Netanyahu increasingly isolated in his push to resume the war.

Trump’s post-election retreat leaves Netanyahu increasingly isolated on Iran

Trump’s options for renewed military action against Iran have narrowed significantly following the Republican Party’s loss of its majorities in both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections, Harretz reported.

The Israeli newspaper said, “While Netanyahu is returning to his vision of launching a new war, the White House appears to have lost interest in the matter.”

It assessed that “the chances now clearly favor ending the war on Iran amid Trump’s continued shifts in position,” noting that he has been wavering on the issue for more than six months, after effectively halting the momentum of the war last April.

Netanyahu pushes for renewed war

Trump said early yesterday that there appeared to be no need to resume the war and that a return to fighting would be “a highly unlikely scenario.”

He added that the war was “effectively over” militarily, making a relatively definitive statement that he had avoided making in recent months.

The Israeli newspaper noted that “three main options have long been under consideration: resuming the offensive, potentially in coordination with “Israel”, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing for; reaching an agreement with Iran that includes restrictions on its nuclear program; or maintaining economic pressure.”

In recent days, the Trump administration announced the launch of “Operation Iron Gate” to shut down Iran’s land trade routes, as a measure complementing the naval blockade.

According to the newspaper, Trump’s latest statements indicate that he has chosen, at this stage, to continue the policy of “economic strangulation” against Iran, hoping to force it into an agreement on terms more favorable to the United States.

Trump’s war options narrow 

Haaretz added that this comes despite the absence of any current signs that Iran’s leadership is retreating or yielding to pressure.

These developments come amid ongoing mediation efforts by Qatar and several other Gulf countries, which are seeking to prevent the war from resuming.

“Israel currently appears to be the only country in the region whose leadership — the current leadership, whose continued hold on power has been called into question by the results of the Knesset elections — still supports resuming the war,” Haaretz added.

The newspaper also noted that the Trump administration includes an influential group of senior officials opposed to resuming the war, led by Vice President JD Vance. This group has stepped up its criticism of efforts to continue the war since the Republicans’ defeat in the elections.

November 11, 2026 - Posted by aletho | Wars for Israel | Iran, Israel, Middle East, United States, Zionism