Scoop: Trump calls Kurdish leaders in Iran war effort

"The calls were the culmination of months of behind-the-scenes lobbying by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, another source said. Israel has had close security, military and intelligence ties with the Kurds in Syria, Iraq and Iran for decades. "It is the general view, and certainly Netanyahu's view, that the Kurds are going to come out of the woodwork ... that they're going to rise up," one official said."

""When he first came over and sat with Trump for hours, you would have thought Netanyahu had it all figured out," the official said. "He had the successor planned out. He had the Kurds all figured out: Two sets of Kurdish groups here and there. This many people are going to rise up," the official added."

"A source with knowledge of the calls said they were "sensitive" and declined to give details on their content. Trump spoke to leaders from the two main Kurdish factions in Iraq - Masoud Barzani and Bafel Talabani - a day after he authorized the Saturday bombing campaign, two of the sources said."

Trump engaged in sensitive communications with Masoud Barzani and Bafel Talabani, leaders of Iraq's main Kurdish factions, immediately after authorizing bombing operations. These contacts represented the culmination of sustained behind-the-scenes pressure from Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, who has maintained decades-long security and intelligence relationships with Kurdish groups across Syria, Iraq, and Iran. Netanyahu advocated for Kurdish involvement during extensive White House meetings with Trump, presenting detailed plans for Kurdish mobilization and regime change in Iran. The White House declined to disclose specifics about the calls' content. Kurdish opposition groups subsequently reported Iranian retaliatory strikes involving missiles and drones.

Read at Axios