Reports: Netanyahu planned renewed Iran strikes this month but Trump opposed; Hegseth visits Israel

The FT reports that Netanyahu ordered preparations for renewed strikes on Iran around 10 October, but Trump opposed restarting before the 3 November midterms. US Defence Secretary Hegseth visited Israel.

L 56%C 11%R 33%

L 56% · C 11% · R 33% · 18 outlets

Left 2 · Centre-left 8 · Centre 2 · Centre-right 3 · Right 3

Sources by lean Follow the money More coverage

How each side framed it

Left-leaning outlets

Escalation risk and electoral calculation: 'Is the US planning a new Iran attack with Israel?' (Al Jazeera); Trump blocked the strikes to protect the midterms (FT, via Haaretz).

Centre outlets

Centre-rated outlets headline it: “Netanyahu made plans to restart Iran strikes earlier this month” (Financial Times); “Hegseth discusses Iran with Netanyahu in unannounced visit to Israel, officials say” (Reuters).

Right-leaning outlets

Resolve and 'finishing the job': Netanyahu on Fox ('complete the job'); 'Trump weighs massive new Iran offensive' (Daily Caller); Jerusalem Post: 'Trump blocked Netanyahu's planned October offensive'.

Holding the paradox

Agreed facts

The FT reports that Netanyahu ordered preparations for renewed strikes around 10 October and that Trump opposed restarting before the 3 November midterms. Hegseth confirmed he visited Israel and spoke to Netanyahu but would not discuss the content.

Where claims conflict

Sourcing rests on one FT report with anonymous sources. Whether the US would join in is unclear ('There will either be a deal or an attack').

The paradox

Both sides accept the same FT facts. The left sees an election-timed pause before a wider war, the right a pause before finishing the job. Neither treats Iran's stalled talks as the variable that decides between the two.

Sources by lean

Balanced: the same number of articles from the left, the centre and the right (up to 3 each). The bar above still counts every rated outlet we found. Bias and factual ratings come from Media Bias/Fact Check. How we balance · All ratings.

Showing 2 from each side of 18 rated outlets (L 10 / C 2 / R 6). Capped at 2 because that is all we found on the thinnest side. More coverage

Follow the money

Not yet researched. We haven't yet looked at who gains or loses financially from this story, or who funds the main voices on each side. When we do, we check company filings, the Electoral Commission donations register, lobbying registers, annual reports, InfluenceMap and OpenSecrets, and we apply the same checks to every side. How we follow the money.

Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (19 outlets)

Outlet	Lean	Ownership & funding (MBFC)
Haaretz	Left	According to the Financial Times, Haaretz does not report its earnings. They were also the first Israeli paper to introduce the paywall. For subscription fees, please see here. source
HuffPost	Left	HuffPost is owned by BuzzFeed, Inc., a publicly traded digital media company based in New York. In November 2020, BuzzFeed acquired HuffPost from Verizon Media Group, with Verizon becoming a minority shareholder. In February 2021, BuzzFeed founder and CEO Jonah Peretti took charge of the combined properties. source
Al Jazeera	Centre-left	Al Jazeera is owned and funded by the state of Qatar. The founder and Chairman of the Board is Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani, a member of Qatar’s ruling family, the House of Thani. According to a Fortune article, i n 2016, state-funded broadcaster Al Jazeera laid off 500 workers due to Qatar’s financial troubles resulting from low global prices for oil and natural gas. source
Axios	Centre-left	Cox Enterprises, a significant media conglomerate in the U.S, primarily own Axios. The outlet generates revenue primarily through advertising, native content, and sponsored newsletters. Unlike some outlets, Axios does not rely on subscription fees, allowing its content to remain widely accessible. source
Bloomberg	Centre-left	Michael R. Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP (The parent company of Bloomberg News). According to Investopedia, Bloomberg Terminal (remote software used to access financial information) is the most expensive among financial data providers. source
Middle East Eye	Centre-left	The Middle East Eye lacks transparency as it does not easily provide ownership information. The website requires that you find ownership information on their Terms and Conditions page, which indicates M.E.E Ltd is the owner. The website also does not indicate that Jamal Bessasso is the owner of M.E.E Ltd. source
New York Times	Centre-left	The Ochs-Sulzberger family controls the New York Times through Class B shares. Since 1967, the company has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYT. Class B shares are those that are held privately. source
Times of Israel	Centre-left	The Times of Israel is co-owned by David Horovitz and Seth Klarman. Revenue is generated through advertising..push({}); source
USA Today	Centre-left	USA Today is owned by the Gannett Company, headquartered in McLean, Virginia. It is one of the largest newspaper publishers in the United States, with interests in newspapers, digital marketing services companies, and television broadcasting. Subscriptions and advertising generate revenue. source
Ynet News	Centre-left	Yedioth Ahronoth owns Ynetnews. Advertising derives revenue. source
Financial Times	Centre	The Financial Times is owned by The Nikkei, a Japanese news and financial information company that publishes the leading financial paper, The Nikkei. The FT generates revenue through subscriptions, a hard paywall, and advertising..push({}); source
Reuters	Centre	In April 2008, the British company Reuters Group was acquired by Thomson Corporation and formed Thomson Reuters. source
CBS News	Centre-right	CBS News is owned by Paramount Global, which was formerly controlled by National Amusements, Inc., the holding company of the Redstone family. In 2025, Paramount entered into a merger agreement with Skydance Media, effectively ending the Redstones’ majority control. CBS News generates revenue primarily through advertising and affiliate broadcasting fees..push({}); source
Jerusalem Post	Centre-right	In 1989, the paper was purchased by Hollinger Inc. for $17-million, which Canadian-born British Conservative Conrad Black owned. Conrad Black later was charged with “swindling his company, Hollinger International, of $60 million.” He was serving a prison sentence; however, in 2019, President Donald Trump pardoned him. source
The Times	Centre-right	The Times and Sunday Times is owned by News UK (News Corp UK & Ireland Limited), which American News Corp owns. The owner and Executive Chairman of News Corp are Rupert Murdoch. Revenue is derived from advertising and subscription fees. source
Breitbart	Right	After the death of Andrew Breitbart in 2012, Larry Solov became CEO and president of Breitbart News. In 2017, according to Politico, Larry Solov revealed the owner of Breitbart as “himself, founder Andrew Breitbart’s widow, Susie Breitbart, and the Republican mega-donor family, the Mercers.” Further, Solov also stated that he wants “to disclose as little as possible about financial and ownership structure.” source
Daily Caller	Right	No ownership data found
Israel Hayom	Right	Israel Hayom is owned by the family of Sheldon Adelson, an American businessman and casino tycoon. He was also one of the largest donors to the Republican Party. His wife Miriam Adelson is the publisher of the paper and also a prominent Republican donor. source
i24NEWS	Not rated	No ownership data found