Graham tried to convince Trump to join the fighting in Lebanon, Netanyahu said: 'Far-reaching' | Report
A documentary film about the final years of Senator Lindsey Graham reveals his efforts to overthrow the Iranian regime. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cautioned him against drawing the US into a war in Lebanon. In his final interview, Graham expressed frustration over Donald Trump's hesitation regarding Iran.
At the beginning of the war in Iran, Senator Lindsey Graham planned to convince US President Donald Trump to join the fight against Hezbollah. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained to him in a conversation that such a move would be premature and too far-reaching under the current circumstances.
Graham told Benjamin Netanyahu that he had garnered bipartisan support for normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia. He emphasized that he had "no time to sleep," as he had set ambitious goals for himself: the overthrow of the Iranian regime, the promotion of a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, and achieving normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
The late senator planned to fly to Florida in early March to persuade Trump to join Israel in strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Details of these discussions were revealed through a documentary film by director Alex Holder, who had extensive access to Graham since 2023. Excerpts from the film were published on Sunday by the Wall Street Journal.
"We are currently focusing on Iran," Benjamin Netanyahu said during the conversation. According to the Prime Minister, while the threat of a large-scale strike might deter Hezbollah, actual US involvement in the conflict would provoke a response that is not in Israel's interest at this time. Graham agreed with this assessment.
The film provides a rare glimpse into the senator's long-standing efforts to change the regime in Iran. In one segment, filmed after the start of American strikes in Iran in late February, Graham tells the film crew: "Look at what we did here. I almost cried." He later added that he had discussed it with Trump: "This is the best thing I have ever done. He loves blowing things up."
Graham also held meetings with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, military commanders, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In his conversation with Benjamin Netanyahu, he argued that after the fall of the Iranian regime, normalization with Saudi Arabia would become inevitable.
In another recording, Graham discusses Middle East negotiations with Jake Sullivan, the former National Security Advisor under Joe Biden. Graham criticized officials within the administration who opposed US involvement in the war and insisted that Secretary of State Marco Rubio should lead the process.
In the final interview filmed for the project, Graham admitted that even Trump had begun to hesitate on the issue of the war: "He is letting it slip through his fingers. I have to go talk to him." Despite this, the senator noted that he had direct access to the president.
According to director Alex Holder, in the final weeks of his life, Graham appeared extremely tired but often repeated: "There is no way I can die yet." Holder is currently editing the film, working-titled "Lindsey's Game," which is expected to be released in the coming months.
