DOMINANT ANGLE
Jerusalem is watching the US military buildup as a possible prelude to a resumption of strikes against Iran, with the Houthi front in Yemen in the background.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Secret meeting at Camp David on Friday, October 2, chaired by JD Vance, with Rubio, Hegseth, Witkoff, Ratcliffe, and General Caine, according to Axios citing three US officials.
- 02
The Washington Post mentions three aircraft carriers, up to 20,000 additional troops (in addition to around 50,000) and up to 150 fighter jets; the Wall Street Journal talks about 10,000 extra troops.
- 03
According to Reuters, Saudi Arabia is considering an offensive against the Houthis in Yemen to retake coastal areas and secure the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab.
ANALYSIS
Jérusalem, October 3, 2026. The Israeli press is treating American news on Iran almost exclusively through a military prism, relying on leaks reported by Axios, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and Reuters.
The Jerusalem Post and Haaretz report that a circle of high-ranking national security officials met in secret on Friday, October 2, at Camp David, for several hours, under the presidency of Vice President JD Vance. According to Axios, which cites three American officials, Donald Trump participated. Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth, Steve Witkoff, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and General Dan Caine were present. Axios sources claim that "things were decided, or at least deeply discussed"; the White House did not respond to the request for comment.
The Jerusalem Post puts this meeting into a context of preparations. According to the Washington Post, the US military is considering a major expansion of its naval presence in the coming weeks: three aircraft carriers and their escort vessels, up to 20,000 additional soldiers adding to the approximately 50,000 already deployed, up to 150 fighter jets, and additional destroyers to counter missile fire. Haaretz, citing the Wall Street Journal, mentions around 10,000 more soldiers, as well as two additional Patriot batteries sent in recent weeks to protect oil and gas installations in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The second issue is Yemen. Citing Reuters, the Jerusalem Post indicates that Riyadh is studying a large-scale offensive against the Iran-backed Houthis, in order to retake key coastal areas and secure the Red Sea's maritime routes, after the Houthis' gains last month, which gave them control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Haaretz mentions a possible American involvement in this offensive.
Haaretz sums up the issue in one sentence: Donald Trump is "weighing" a resumption of military action against Iran. The two publications do not dwell on the American response to Tehran's proposal or the ongoing mediations: the narrative retained is one of accumulating armed pressure, rather than negotiation.
