U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told Israeli media that he does not expect President Donald Trump to punish Israeli President Isaac Herzog if Herzog declines to grant a pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his ongoing corruption trial.

In an interview published by Ynet, Huckabee said Herzog “has every right to take his time in making the decision” on a potential pardon and called the president “an honorable and good man,” signaling continued U.S. support for Israel’s independent political process amid heightened regional tensions.

Netanyahu has sought a presidential pardon as he faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, a move that has sparked legal and political controversy inside Israel. Trump has publicly weighed in on the matter in recent months, but Herzog’s office has maintained that any decision would follow established legal procedures.

Asked about the possibility of a U.S. strike against Iran, Huckabee issued a warning, saying Tehran should “look at the signs,” reflecting broader concerns about Iran’s nuclear program and military posture.

“They’re either going to come to terms and act like civilized people, or the president will make a different decision,” Huckabee said. “They know what the U.S. can do with limited strikes,” he added, referring to last year’s Operation Midnight Hammer, in which the U.S. struck Iranian nuclear facilities near the end of a brief war between Israel and Iran.

Huckabee also invoked the significant U.S. military presence now staged in the region — including aircraft and warships — suggesting it served as a warning to Tehran of Washington’s ability to escalate if negotiations falter.

Huckabee sought to address criticism of comments he made in a recent interview with far-right commentator Tucker Carlson, in which he suggested to Carlson that Israel could exert broad influence across the Middle East — remarks that sparked widespread controversy and condemnation from Arab and Muslim-majority states. U.S. officials later said those comments were taken out of context, and the U.S. Embassy said there was no change in formal U.S. policy regarding Israeli territorial claims.

In his latest remarks, Huckabee accused Carlson of selectively editing the interview to create “a narrative that is utterly false” and said he sent full transcripts to Arab leaders to clarify his position. He also called on Herzog to consider legal action against Carlson for defamation after the commentator — who has hosted a string of controversial guests — falsely claimed the Israeli president had visited Jeffrey Epstein’s private island, a claim Carlson later apologized for and removed from his broadcast.

“You can’t let Tucker Carlson get away with antisemitic, anti-Israel hate. It’s really dangerous,” Huckabee said.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)