President Trump spent the first months of his term holding back Israel’s push for an assault on Iran’s nuclear program. With the war underway, his posture has gyrated as he weighs sending in the U.S.

As Donald Trump hobnobbed with lawmakers at the White House congressional picnic Thursday evening, Israel’s military was striking targets inside Iran just hours after the U.S. president had signaled that he preferred giving diplomatic talks another chance.

No announcement yet on Iran … but Playbook has the goods on where Trump might be headed. — Meet the hawkish Middle East general who’s won the ear of the Trump administration. — How DNI Tulsi Gabbard fell out of favor with the White House at a critical moment.