A regional analyst says fears that President Donald Trump could «flip» on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid a critical push for a U.S.-Iran peace agreement are growing in Jerusalem, a concern highlighted Sunday after the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) struck Beirut for a second time.

Despite U.S. warnings that any strikes would derail a breakthrough with Tehran, the strikes came as Netanyahu prepared to convene Israel’s Security Cabinet and after Trump announced a new U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding (MOU) was expected to be signed imminently.

«The strikes today in Beirut are creating issues with finalizing the deal,» a diplomat involved in the talks with Tehran told Fox News Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst, adding that they were «a clear attempt by Israel to sabotage the president’s deal and drag the United States back into war.»

Trump went on to condemn Israel’s strikes in a post on Truth Social, also telling Axios that Netanyahu had «no f—ing judgment.»

WHY TRUMP KEEPS FLIPPING ON IRAN: A PRESIDENT WHO SEES THE WORLD AS HE WANTS IT TO BE

Natan Sachs, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, noted there was «absolutely this fear in the Israeli government,» calling it «a rational and healthy fear» over the pending deal.

He said a strategic chasm existed between the two allies, contrasting Netanyahu’s doctrine of sustained, long-term military pressure with Trump’s pursuit of immediate diplomatic victories.

«Now there is a sense in Israel that Trump may be growing weary of Netanyahu and the Israelis, and many others believe that if he got sick and tired of him, he could break norms in other directions and flip on Israel,» Sachs, an Israeli foreign policy expert, told Fox News Digital.

With discussions underway through Pakistani mediation, the Israeli prime minister’s office released a statement shortly after Trump announced the possible deal with Tehran on June 11.

Jerusalem «is not a party to the memorandum of understanding» between Washington and Tehran, Netanyahu said before reiterating on June 12 that Iran was «working to destroy the Jewish state.» He assured Israelis he had dedicated his life to «preventing them from doing so.»

On Sunday, a senior Israeli official also said Hezbollah attacks had targeted Israeli civilians for the previous three days as Israel prepared for Iranian retaliation.

NETANYAHU DECLARES ISRAEL ‘WILL EXACT THE FULL PRICE’ AFTER IRANIAN STRIKE HITS HOSPITAL IN ISRAEL

President Trump’s push for a U.S.-Iran deal is fueling concern in Jerusalem that he could turn on Netanyahu as Israeli strikes in Beirut threaten to complicate negotiations. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Trump had already criticized Netanyahu during a phone call earlier this month, reportedly calling him «crazy» over a first strike on Beirut that was complicating the administration’s negotiations with Iran.

«It’s not just that there seems to be a crisis — and there were clearly expletives used by the president toward the prime minister on the backdrop of a joint and large military operation,» Sachs said.

«Israel and Netanyahu had first looked at Trump and saw both enormous carrots and enormous potential sticks,» Sachs said of the start of Operation Epic Fury and Roaring Lion on Feb. 28.

«Trump was a huge opportunity for Netanyahu because he was willing to break the mold on anything, but Israel has made a potentially strategic, historic mistake in putting all its eggs in one basket,» he added.

«Netanyahu was always prepared for the long haul,» Sachs said. «And the long haul is not four months; the long haul is years. Trump likes quick wins. Once the quick win did not materialize — and it did not — now you have a whole new set of problems.»

«Trump’s preference seemed far from pursuing a much broader campaign aimed at achieving the goals that Israel prefers, and he also has a much narrower conception of what a deal would be,» he added.

TRUMP MEETS NETANYAHU, SAYS HE WANTS IRAN DEAL BUT REMINDS TEHRAN OF ‘MIDNIGHT HAMMER’ OPERATION

Lebanese civil defense workers search for victims in the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, on April 9, 2026. (Hassan Ammar/AP)

Sachs noted, however, that Trump and Netanyahu broadly shared goals on curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions, eliminating Hezbollah’s armed presence in Lebanon and establishing a post-Hamas future for Gaza.

But he said, «having that wish list is not the same as having a strategic goal. They haven’t both committed to them as strategic goals that dictate concerted action going forward.»

Sachs also argued that tensions between Trump and Netanyahu reflect different temperaments.

«Netanyahu thinks of himself as a strategic thinker — very able, and of course, he has a very high opinion of himself — but he is completely different,» he observed.

«Netanyahu is an erudite, well-educated, patient, highly suspicious and extremely pessimistic man by nature. His self-image is more, ‘I have thought everything through in ways you could not, because I’m smarter than you.’

«He’s very suspicious of everyone around him, and he’s been surrounded by this same coterie of individuals for decades.»

«In terms of personality and where they come from, their worldview is also actually very different,» Sachs added.

«You can’t imagine Netanyahu spending hours at night on social media. He doesn’t go on it himself, and it’s hard to imagine President Trump spending hours reading books, which Netanyahu likes to portray himself as doing. I doubt he has time for it, but that is an image he projects, and I think it is partially true.»

«Netanyahu also believes you live with a problem, you manage it, and you kick the can down the road. Trump is the opposite.»

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«The U.S. may turn away and be uninterested; Israel simply does not think it has that privilege,» Sachs said.

«Netanyahu and Trump have very different time horizons, and that is partly geography and interest — and partly personality.»

El régimen de Irán lanzó este domingo nuevas amenazas contra Israel después del bombardeo israelí sobre los suburbios del sur de Beirut, una zona considerada uno de los principales bastiones del grupo terrorista Hezbollah. Funcionarios políticos y militares del régimen persa afirmaron que habrá una respuesta a la operación y advirtieron que sus fuerzas permanecen listas para intervenir si se producen nuevos ataques.

La amenaza llegó desde el Consejo Supremo de Seguridad Nacional, el máximo órgano encargado de coordinar la política de defensa y seguridad de la República Islámica. Su secretario, Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, aseguró que la represalia ya está en marcha.

“La respuesta de los soldados del Islam está llegando”, declaró el funcionario en un mensaje difundido por canales oficiales iraníes.

Zolqadr vinculó además la situación en el Líbano con la estrategia regional de Teherán y destacó la cooperación entre los grupos aliados de la República Islámica en Medio Oriente. Según sostuvo, esa red constituye una estructura de defensa común frente a las amenazas externas.

“La unidad de los frentes de la Resistencia ha creado una cadena de seguridad para la defensa de toda la región”, afirmó.

El dirigente también dejó un mensaje dirigido directamente a Israel al referirse al ataque sobre Beirut.

“El Líbano es nuestra vida, y la violación de las líneas rojas de la República Islámica no será tolerada”, señaló.

Las declaraciones se produjeron pocas horas después de que aviones israelíes atacaran el sector de Dahye, en el sur de la capital libanesa. Las autoridades de emergencia locales informaron que al menos tres personas murieron y varias más resultaron heridas como consecuencia de los bombardeos.

Israel justificó la operación como una respuesta a lanzamientos efectuados previamente desde territorio libanés contra el norte del país. Sin embargo, la acción provocó una inmediata reacción de Irán, principal respaldo político, financiero y militar de Hezbollah.

La advertencia iraní fue reforzada por altos mandos de las fuerzas armadas. El general Ali Abdollahi, comandante del Cuartel General Central Jatam al-Anbiya, aseguró que las capacidades militares del país se encuentran en condiciones de responder a cualquier escenario.

“Nuestras capacidades de combate, defensa, misiles, fuerzas navales, drones y defensa aérea son más poderosas que nunca”, afirmó el oficial.

Abdollahi sostuvo además que las tropas iraníes están preparadas para actuar de manera inmediata si consideran que existe una nueva agresión contra los intereses de la República Islámica o sus aliados regionales.

Según el militar, los efectivos permanecen con “el dedo en el gatillo” y listos para atacar “el corazón del enemigo”.

En otro tramo de su mensaje, lanzó una advertencia contra Israel. “Estamos esperando el más mínimo desliz del enemigo agresor para darle una lección inolvidable y definitiva”, expresó.

Las amenazas también fueron acompañadas por declaraciones de otros funcionarios iraníes. El subcomandante del Comando Unificado de Operaciones Jatam al-Anbiya, Sardar Asadi, afirmó que la ofensiva israelí no quedará sin consecuencias.

“Sin duda estos crímenes no quedarán sin respuesta”, manifestó.

En paralelo a las amenazas cruzadas, el régimen iraní suspendió las operaciones aéreas en el oeste del país, la región más próxima a Israel. La restricción fue establecida por tiempo indefinido y permanecerá vigente hasta nuevo aviso.

Aunque la Organización de Aviación Civil indicó que no se emitieron nuevas alertas formales para la navegación aérea y que continúan aplicándose las disposiciones ya existentes, la decisión fue interpretada como una señal de preparación ante un posible deterioro de la situación de seguridad.

La escalada se produce en un momento especialmente delicado para la región. En paralelo a las tensiones militares, Washington y Teherán mantienen negociaciones destinadas a cerrar un entendimiento que permita poner fin a meses de enfrentamientos y reduzca el riesgo de una guerra más amplia en Medio Oriente.

El ataque sobre Beirut introdujo nuevas dudas sobre ese proceso diplomático. El presidente del Parlamento iraní y uno de los principales referentes involucrados en las conversaciones, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, cuestionó la continuidad de las negociaciones tras los bombardeos.

“Si careces de la voluntad o la capacidad para cumplir tus compromisos, es imposible hablar de seguir adelante”, escribió.

Las críticas también alcanzaron indirectamente a Estados Unidos. Desde Teherán consideran que la ofensiva israelí pone en duda la capacidad de Washington para garantizar el cumplimiento de los compromisos asumidos durante las conversaciones.

El presidente estadounidense, Donald Trump, también tomó distancia del ataque. El mandatario afirmó que la operación israelí “no debería haber ocurrido”, especialmente cuando las partes se encontraban cerca de concretar un acuerdo destinado a reducir las tensiones en la región. Mientras tanto, las amenazas cruzadas y la incertidumbre sobre una eventual represalia iraní mantienen en alerta a Medio Oriente.

(Con información de AFP y EFE)

There were two 1s. Three 3s. Three 4s. One 04. Three 6s. Two 06s. Two 7s. Two 07s. 2 9s. And three 12s. 

No. I wasn’t trying to decipher computer programming code. 

This wasn’t a routing number for a checking account.

Nor was I communicating in hexadecimals.

I was staring at these numbers to unravel the GOP’s uniform numbers for the annual Congressional baseball game at Nats Park.

REPUBLICANS DESTROY DEMOCRATS IN CONGRESSIONAL BASEBALL GAME AGAIN, WINNING FOR 5TH STRAIGHT YEAR

Congressional Republicans and Democrats play each other in the event. It’s a custom dating back to 1909. No other athletic team in any sport on the planet allows players on the same team to wear the same numbers. But since this is Congress, lawmakers get to choose whatever uniform number they want. 

On the Republican team, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Rep. Brad Finstad (R-MN) both wear number one. Reps. Chuck Flesichmann (R-TN), Greg Murphy (R-NC) and Marlin Stutzman (R-IN) don number three.

You get the idea. 

Old-time ballpark vendors used to hawk their wares by shouting, «You can’t tell the players without a scorecard.» 

With all of these numbers, a scorecard won’t do. You need an abacus.

The Democrats aren’t much better with their uniform algebra. Four Democrats utilized the same uniform digits. There were two 3s. Two 11s. Two 15s. And two 25s. For instance, Reps. Morgan McGarvey, D-Ky., and Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., sported number three. Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., and Frank Mrvan, D-Ind., requested number 11. 

The game is a charity event, raising more than $3.2 million and coaxing 32,000 fans to the ballpark. So who wears what number really shouldn’t matter much.

SCHMITT GOES IN-DEPTH ON DIVING CATCH & CHANGES TO COLLEGE ATHLETICS ON ‘RUTHLESS’

Republicans and Democrats packed Nationals Park for the Congressional Baseball Game, a charity tradition that raised more than $3.2 million this year. (Fox News)

Unless you’re broadcasting the game on national television.

That’s where I come in. 

I’ve had the privilege of announcing the game for Fox Sports for five years now, live on FS1. I handle the color commentary. My Fox News colleague and former ESPN hand Kevin Corke does play-by-play. Fox Sports sends the same production crew which handles playoff games and the World Series to cover this. Led by Fox producer extraordinaire Aaron Stojkov, the same group of folks just worked Fox’s national broadcast of the Cardinals/Cubs game a few weeks ago in St. Louis. They handled the Phillies/Brewers game in Milwaukee Saturday night.

Congress is my thing. But baseball even more so. 

I was at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati in 1985 the night Pete Rose broke Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record. I know that Atlanta Braves pitcher Tom House caught Hank Aaron’s 715th career home run in the bullpen, breaking Babe Ruth’s mark. I can talk about Ralph Branca on the mound for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Branca yielded «The Shot Heard ‘Round the World» to Bobby Thomson, propelling the New York Giants into the 1951 World Series. I’ll then regale you with the little known fact that Thomson is from Glasgow, Scotland. Not Staten Island. I can even give you a dissertation explaining the infield fly rule. 

But the annual ritual of decrypting the Congressional baseball game is the most challenging thing I do professionally each year. The exercise involving the national pastime is a fabulous yet tough assignment. 

I’ve often wondered if calling an actual Major League game would be easier than announcing the tilt between the Democrats and Republicans. For MLB, I follow the teams. I study box scores. I can tell who is on a winning streak. Who can’t hit a slider. 

PRESENT AND ACCOUNTED FOR: HOUSE REPUBLICANS’ SMALL MAJORITY COULD MAKE ATTENDANCE A PRIORITY

Duplicate jersey numbers left broadcasters sorting through lawmakers on the field during the annual Congressional Baseball Game in Washington. (Fox News)

This is not to say that announcing a Big League game is easy. But there’s more information. It’s baseball as I know it. 

Pete Rose said that the easiest place to hit was the Big Leagues. The pitching was better. The umpiring was better. The lighting was better.

Rose’s point is that most MLB hurlers have command. But down in the minors, some of the pitchers make Ricky «Wild Thing» Vaughn from the movie Major League look like Greg Maddux. Umpires in The Show work a consistent strike zone. But in the Pioneer League, an actual pioneer may have a better concept of what’s a ball or strike. Down in the South Atlantic League, you might struggle to even see the ball because the stadium is practically illuminated by foot candles. But the lighting at Major League Stadiums is better than a Taylor Swift concert. 

So that’s the challenge. There’s a chasm between MLB and the Congressional baseball game. You have to figure out what to say about each player – who have limited stat lines. I know more about their voting records than batting averages. So, like any reporter, I dig around to prepare what to say during the game. 

It was just before 7a.m. ET a few weeks ago. My phone buzzed with a text from Republican Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt. He was at the pre-dawn practice. Schmitt has the highest OPS (on base percentage, plus slugging percentage) in Congressional baseball history. He’s a mega St. Louis Cardinals fan. But despite his prowess at the plate, Schmitt made one of the most stellar plays in Congressional baseball history in the game Wednesday night.

LEARNING CURVE: THE NEW PLAYERS IN CONGRESS

Spectacular defensive plays, bipartisan competition and baseball history highlighted this year’s Congressional Baseball Game. (Fox News)

Rep. Johnny Oleszewski, D-Md., looped a long flyball down the left field line. Approaching foul ground and the warning track, Schmitt laid himself out, with a diving, circus catch in the heel of his glove. Schmitt popped back up, blood streaming from his face after crashing into the warning track.

«I’m not as sore as I thought I would be,» said Schmitt the next day, noting he scraped up his forearms. 

That play goes into the baseball lore for next year’s broadcast. 

Schmitt wasn’t the only Gold Glover this year. 

Reps. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., and Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., also made spectacular catches in short left field.

Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, is the GOP manager. But he toiled as an Atlanta Braves farmhand for three seasons. Williams hit an impressive .318 for Wytheville, VA in the Appalachian League in 1971. An injury curbed Williams to batting just .135 and .203 the next two seasons. The Braves released him and Wiliams became a scout. 

Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., manages the Democratic squad. She used to be one of a handful of women who played. After five seasons, Sanchez is still looking for her first win as the Democratic skipper. 

«We don’t get our hits together then and strand people on the bases,» said Sanchez. 

As a kid, Sanchez pulled for the now Los Angeles Angels. She was a big Nolan Ryan fan. But Sanchez dropped her allegiance to the Angels after Ryan signed with the Houston Astros. That was just as «Fernando-mania» seized the baseball world as phenom Fernando Valenzuela won the Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year honor in 1981. Sanchez has been a Los Angeles Dodgers fan ever since. 

I have two favorite tales about lawmakers and their connections to Major League Baseball.  

Rep. Ray Cannon, D-Wis., served in Congress in the 1930s. But before that, Cannon represented Shoeless Joe Jackson and other members of the Chicago White Sox, banished from baseball during the Black Sox scandal. Eight players are accused of trying to throw the 1919 World Series to the Cincinnati Reds. 

Then there was Rep. Jacob Ruppert, D-N.Y., who represented part of New York City in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Ruppert wanted to acquire a baseball club. But a deal to purchase the New York Giants fell through. He opted to buy the New York Yankees – who were consistently a second division team in those days. Ruppert then acquired Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees became one of the most-storied franchises in the history of sports. And Ruth became the first American superstar. 

Few in Congress know who Ruppert was in Congress. But when it comes to baseball, Ruppert is now enshrined in Cooperstown. 

In order to get everyone to the ballpark on time for the game, Steve Scalise scheduled final votes for the day around 4:30 pm et last Wednesday. He also told committees to suspend votes until after the ballgame. 

The House Appropriations Committee was prepping the annual Homeland Security bill that night. But Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., told Members he wanted everyone back to vote 30 minutes after the game. Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., had an amendment ready on collective bargaining for the TSA. Levin wondered if he’d return for the committee votes in his baseball uniform.

Calling the Congressional Baseball Game requires equal parts baseball knowledge and Capitol Hill expertise, according to longtime broadcaster Chad Pergram. (Fox News)

But no level of preparation fully arms you to call the game from the booth. I looked up at one point and found freshman Rep. Christian Menefee, D-Texas, pinch running at first base. But Menefee never appeared on any roster I was presented. I had no information on him. 

Menefee beat Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, in a primary for next year recently. He’s only been in Congress a few months after winning a special election. 

At first I couldn’t figure out who was out on the base paths. I scoured each each number on my roster. 

Nothing.

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A multitude of numbers. But none for Menefee.

Prep all you want to announce the Congressional baseball game. But you’d still be outnumbered.