Biden warned Trump: Israel 'won't miss chance' to escalate Gaza to Iran

A bombshell New Yorker report has revealed that former President Joe Biden warned Donald Trump that Israel would not pass up the opportunity to escalate the Gaza conflict into strikes on Iran, according to multiple Biden administration officials. The report, published on April 3, 2026, alleges that Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are directly responsible for allowing the war in Gaza to spiral into a broader regional conflagration involving Iran.

The Warning to Trump

According to the New Yorker's investigation, Biden officials conveyed to Trump ahead of the 2024 election that Israel, under Netanyahu, would likely seize any pretext to widen the war. One former senior Biden aide said, 'We told him bluntly: if you give Netanyahu a green light, he will drag us into a war with Iran. And that's exactly what's happening.' The report suggests that Trump dismissed these concerns, instead prioritizing his relationship with Netanyahu.

Escalation to Direct Strikes

The article traces the sequence of events from the initial Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, through Israel's ground invasion of Gaza, and then to airstrikes on Iranian targets in Syria and inside Iran itself. Former administration officials argue that Trump's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and his 'maximum pressure' campaign emboldened Netanyahu to strike Iranian assets. The New Yorker cites a current Israeli official who said, 'The prime minister saw an opportunity to reshape the Middle East with American backing, and he took it.'

Blaming Trump and Netanyahu

The report is damning of both leaders. One Biden administration official is quoted saying, 'Trump and Netanyahu have blood on their hands. They could have contained this, but they chose escalation.' The article notes that Biden, during his presidency, tried to restrain Israel by conditioning arms shipments and pressing for a ceasefire. But after Trump took office, those restraints were lifted. The New Yorker also points to Netanyahu's domestic political troubles as a motive for prolonging the war.

Implications and Next Steps

The revelations are likely to deepen partisan divides in the U.S. and strain U.S.-Israel relations. With Iran now directly targeted, the risk of a full-scale Middle East war has never been higher. Analysts quoted in the report warn that the conflict could draw in Hezbollah and other proxies, leading to a humanitarian catastrophe. As the 2026 midterms approach, the Biden team's allegations may become a central campaign issue, with Democrats accusing Trump of reckless foreign policy. Meanwhile, Netanyahu's office has not commented on the New Yorker story.