Connect with us

RSS

White House National Security Adviser Waltz Being Forced Out, Sources Say

US President Donald Trump, right, and his White House national security adviser, Mike Waltz. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

US President Donald Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz is being forced out of his job, four people briefed on the matter said on Thursday, in the first major shakeup of Trump’s inner circle since he took office in January.

Waltz‘s deputy, Alex Wong, an Asia expert who was a State Department official focused on North Korea during Trump’s first term, is also leaving his post, two people told Reuters.

Waltz, a 51-year-old former Republican lawmaker from Florida, faced criticism inside the White House when he was caught up in a March scandal involving a Signal chat among top Trump national security aides.

The national security adviser is a powerful role that does not require Senate confirmation. It was not immediately clear who would take over from Waltz. The National Security Council did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Sources said the options included US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been involved in Russia-Ukraine diplomacy as well as the Middle East, and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio could assume the position on a temporary basis while a permanent selection is settled upon, sources said.

The Waltz ouster caps a month of personnel turmoil within Trump’s national security establishment. Since April 1, at least 20 NSC staffers have been fired, the director of the National Security Agency has been dismissed, and three high-ranking Pentagon political appointees have been shown the door.

The purges have seriously hurt morale in some areas of the national security establishment, according to several officials within or close to the administration. Some elements of the government are low on relevant national security expertise, and in some cases, it has proven difficult to attract high-level talent, the officials added.

The NSC is the main body used by presidents to coordinate security strategy, and its staff often make key decisions regarding America’s approach to the world’s most volatile conflicts.

Waltz was blamed for accidentally adding the editor of The Atlantic magazine to a private thread describing details of an imminent US bombing campaign against Iran-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen. The Atlantic reported on the mishap.

At a subsequent Cabinet meeting with Waltz in the room, Trump expressed his preference for holding such conversations in a secure setting, a clear sign of his displeasure. But he and others in the White House publicly expressed confidence in Waltz at the time. Waltz also attended Trump’s televised Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

WAVE OF FIRINGS

The NSC that Waltz will leave behind has been thinned by dismissals in recent weeks.

The bloodletting began a month ago, when Laura Loomer, a right-wing conspiracy theorist, handed Trump a list of individuals in the NSC she deemed to be disloyal during a meeting at the White House. Following that meeting, four senior directors were released.

Those four senior directors – who oversaw intelligence, technology, international organizations, and legislative affairs, respectively – had a long history in conservative policymaking and no apparent animosity toward Trump, leaving colleagues puzzled by their dismissals, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.

Some NSC staffers were upset that Waltz did not more forcefully defend his staff, those people said.

Since then, more than 20 additional NSC staffers of various profiles have been let go, typically with no notice, the people said.

In recent weeks, multiple officials have declined positions at the NSC amid the ongoing personnel upheaval, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter. Some areas of the council are now lightly staffed, with both the Latin America and Africa sections lacking permanent senior directors as of last week.

The Signal controversy was not the only mark against Waltz in Trump’s eyes, sources said.

A person familiar with the Cabinet’s internal dynamics said Waltz was too hawkish for the war-averse Trump and was seen as not effectively coordinating foreign policy among a variety of agencies, a key role for the national security adviser.

Another source said Trump wanted to get to the 100-day mark in his term before firing a cabinet-level official.

Waltz‘s ouster could be of concern to US partners in Europe and Asia who have seen him as supportive of traditional alliances such as NATO and tempering more antagonistic views toward them from some other Trump aides, according to one foreign diplomat in Washington who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Democrats who were outraged about the Signal scandal welcomed the news about Waltz.

“About time,” said Democratic Senator Adam Schiff.

The post White House National Security Adviser Waltz Being Forced Out, Sources Say first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

RSS

Belgian Premier Rejects Genocide Allegations Against Israel, Says Not the Time for ‘Palestinian State’ Recognition

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever speaks at a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (not pictured) in Kyiv, Ukraine, April 8, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Thomas Peter

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever rejected a journalist’s claim that Israel is committing “genocide” in Gaza and argued it is premature to recognize a “Palestinian state” at this time, marking a notable departure from the previous administration’s anti-Israel stance.

During an interview on Wednesday with VRT, the Flemish public broadcaster, journalist Goedele Devroy questioned the Belgian leader about the parliament’s position on the ongoing war in Gaza and a possible shift in its approach toward Israel, following his assertions that the Jewish state is committing genocide in the war-torn enclave.

“On recognizing Palestine, I hear that the majority [in parliament] is working on a resolution to sharpen the tone against the genocide that’s happening there by Israel,” Devroy said.

De Wever rejected the premise of the question, which dismissed Israel’s defensive actions against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in Gaza.

“Your line of questioning is extremely dubious,” the Belgian premier said. “You’re already operating under the assumption of genocide — that is something for the International Court of Justice to determine.”

When asked about the possibility of recognizing a “Palestinian state,” De Wever dismissed the idea, stating that it is not the right time, as there are still many unresolved issues that need to be addressed.

“What territory are we recognizing? Which authority? Is it democratic, legitimate? Is it committed to recognizing Israel, to the demilitarization of Hamas and to providing security guarantees, with broader implications for the Arab world?” the Belgian leader said.

Under Belgium’s previous Socialist-led government, the country had been one of Israel’s most vocal critics within the European Union.

For example, Belgium joined South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Since December 2023, South Africa has been pursuing its case at the ICJ, accusing Jerusalem of committing “state-led genocide” in its defensive military campaign that followed the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel.

The previous government also committed to honoring an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

In November, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, and now-deceased Hamas terror leader Ibrahim al-Masri (better known as Mohammed Deif) for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza war.

The ICC said there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Gallant were criminally responsible for starvation in Gaza and the persecution of Palestinians — charges vehemently denied by Israel, which until a recently imposed blockade had provided significant humanitarian aid into the enclave throughout the war.

Israel also says it has gone to unprecedented lengths to try and avoid civilian casualties, despite Hamas’s widely acknowledged military strategy of embedding its terrorists within Gaza’s civilian population and commandeering civilian facilities like hospitals, schools, and mosques to run operations and direct attacks.

However, since taking office, De Wever has shifted Belgium’s foreign policy toward a more pro-Israel stance. His center-right government, led by the National Flemish Alliance party, took power this year after winning the largest share of votes in Belgium’s 2024 general election.

Last month, De Wever said that Belgium would not enforce the ICC arrest warrant against Netanyahu if he were to visit the country.

“There is such a thing as realpolitik,” he said in an interview with VRT. “I don’t think any European country would arrest Netanyahu if he were on their territory. France wouldn’t do it, and I don’t think we would either.”

The post Belgian Premier Rejects Genocide Allegations Against Israel, Says Not the Time for ‘Palestinian State’ Recognition first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Continue Reading

RSS

Trump Says Fewer Than 24 Hostages Still Alive in Gaza, Offers Sympathies to Family of Edan Alexander

US President Donald Trump speaks at the White House, in Washington, DC, Feb. 3, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he has become aware that fewer than 24 hostages are still alive in Gaza, heightening urgency to rescue the remaining survivors in the war-torn enclave. 

“Out of 59, you had 24 that were living, and now I understand that it’s not even that number,” Trump said during a National Day of Prayer event at the White House.

For several months, Israeli officials have stated that 24 of the 59 hostages who remain in captivity were believed to still be alive in Gaza. However, during a public appearance earlier this week, Sara Netanyahu, wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, claimed the actual number was lower than the official count. 

During his remarks on the White House lawn acknowledging the National Day of Prayer, Trump extended sympathies to the family of Edan Alexander, the final American hostage still believed to be alive in Gaza. Alexander’s parents, Adi and Yael, were seated in the audience during Trump’s speech.

“We don’t know how he’s doing, really…. We think we know, and hopefully [it’s] positive,” Trump said, referencing Alexander’s uncertain condition. “Two months ago, we were pretty sure. It looked like he was getting out. But they’ve toughened up a little bit. And it’s a terrible thing, I know, what you’re going through.”

Trump expressed support for the families of the remaining hostages still in Gaza, acknowledging their emotional turmoil.

“We’re working very, very hard to save your son,” he continues. “We have news coming out — both good and bad.”

Alexander, a 21-year-old New Jersey native and soldier in the Israeli army, was taken hostage by Hamas during the Palestinian terrorist group’s Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of and massacre across southern Israel. More than 250 people were kidnapped as hostages during the onslaught.

Alexander’s unknown fate has drawn a great deal of attention in both the US and Israel due to his American citizenship. 

In April, Hamas released a video of Alexander showing the IDF solider alive. However, days later, the terrorist group claimed to lack knowledge of Alexander’s fate, saying that they lost contact with the guards holding him hostage after the location was allegedly hit in an Israeli airstrike.

The post Trump Says Fewer Than 24 Hostages Still Alive in Gaza, Offers Sympathies to Family of Edan Alexander first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Continue Reading

RSS

US-Iran Nuclear Talks Postponed Amid Rising Tensions

USA and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, Sept. 8, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

The fourth round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran, which were set to take place in Rome this weekend, have been postponed, with a new date yet to be announced amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran.

On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei announced that the fourth round of indirect nuclear talks with US officials, originally scheduled for May 3, had been postponed at the suggestion of the Omani Foreign Minister, who mediated previous negotiations between the two adversaries.

In a post on X, the top Omani diplomat, Badr Albusaidi, confirmed that the upcoming talks had been delayed, stating that new dates will be announced once both sides reach a mutual agreement.

“For logistical reasons, we are rescheduling the US-Iran meeting provisionally planned for Saturday, May 3rd,” Albusaidi said.

Earlier on Thursday, Iran accused Washington of “contradictory behavior and provocative statements” following remarks by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who warned Tehran of severe consequences for supporting Yemen’s Houthi militia, an internationally designated terrorist group.

The Iran-backed group, which controls northern Yemen, has been targeting ships in the Red Sea since November 2023, disrupting global trade, while justifying the attacks as acts of solidarity with the Palestinians.

Iran’s accusation against Washington also comes after the US imposed new oil-related sanctions on Tehran this week, as US President Donald Trump continued pursing negotiations over the Iranian nuclear program.

As part of the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran — which aims to cut the country’s crude exports to zero and prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon — Washington has been targeting Tehran’s oil industry with mounting sanctions.

“US sanctions on Iran during the nuclear talks are not helping the sides to resolve the nuclear dispute through diplomacy,” a senior Iranian official told Reuters. “Depending on the US approach, the date of the next round of talks will be announced.”

Last month, the two adversaries held their first official nuclear negotiation since the US withdrew from a now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal that had imposed temporary limits on Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanction relief.

The first and third rounds of talks were held in Oman, while the second round took place in Rome at the residence of the Omani ambassador.

Tehran has previously rejected halting its uranium enrichment program, insisting that the country’s right to enrich uranium is non-negotiable, despite Washington’s threats of military action, additional sanctions, and tariffs if an agreement is not reached to curb Iran’s nuclear activities.

However, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said that any deal with Iran must require the complete dismantling of its “nuclear enrichment and weaponization program.” Witkoff’s comments came after he received criticism for suggesting the Islamic Republic would be allowed to maintain its nuclear program in a limited capacity.

Despite Iran’s claims that its nuclear program is solely for civilian purposes rather than weapon development, Western states have said there is no “credible civilian justification” for the country’s recent nuclear activity, arguing it “gives Iran the capability to rapidly produce sufficient fissile material for multiple nuclear weapons.”

The post US-Iran Nuclear Talks Postponed Amid Rising Tensions first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Continue Reading

Copyright © 2017 - 2023 Jewish Post & News