Israel won’t launch Iran attack unless US negotiations fail
Israel assured the White House it won’t launch an attack against Iran’s nuclear facilities unless US President Donald Trump signals that negotiations with Iran have failed, two Israeli officials told Axios on Friday.
According to the officials, the message was delivered during a visit to Washington last week by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Mossad director David Barnea, and National Security Council Head Tzachi Hanegbi, Axios reported.
One official told Axios that Israel made it clear to the US that they wouldn’t surprise the Trump administration with any attacks on Iran without informing the US first.
“We calmed the Americans and told them there is no logic in launching an attack if a good diplomatic solution can be found. This is why we are going to give it a chance and wait with any military action until it is clear that negotiations were exhausted and Steve Witkoff has given up,” a second Israeli official said.
US believed Israel was preparing to strike Iran
In late May, multiple US officials revealed intelligence to CNN that Israel was preparing to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Any Israeli strike on Iran would be “a brazen break with President Donald Trump,” the officials told CNN. They added that it could also risk triggering a broader regional war.
However, a senior Israeli official told Axios that while the IDF is training for a possible strike against Iran, the US and other countries misread measures the IDF took ahead of strikes against the Houthis in Yemen as preparations for an imminent strike against Iran.