From Israel’s perspective, this may be a good moment for a strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Jpost
Israel is not ruling out an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities despite US President Donald Trump telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US is unwilling to support such a move, according to an Israeli official and two other people familiar with the matter.
Israeli officials have vowed to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, and Netanyahu has insisted that any negotiation with Iran must lead to the complete dismantling of its nuclear program.
US and Iranian negotiators are set for a second round of preliminary nuclear talks in Rome on Saturday.
Over the past months, Israel has proposed to the Trump administration a series of options to attack Iran’s facilities, including some with late spring and summer timelines, the sources said. The plans include a mix of airstrikes and commando operations that vary in severity and could set back Tehran’s ability to weaponize its nuclear program by just months or a year or more, the sources said.
The New York Times reported on Wednesday that Trump told Netanyahu in a White House meeting earlier this month that Washington wanted to prioritize diplomatic talks with Tehran and that he was unwilling to support a strike on the country’s nuclear facilities.
But Israeli officials now believe that the military could instead launch a strike on Iran that would require less US support. Such an attack would be significantly smaller than those Israel initially proposed.
It is unclear if or when Israel would move forward with such a strike, especially with talks on a nuclear deal getting started. Such a move would likely alienate Trump and could risk broader US support for Israel.
Parts of the plans were previously presented last year to the Biden administration, two former senior Biden administration officials told Reuters. Almost all required significant US support via direct military intervention or intelligence sharing. Israel has also requested that Washington help Israel defend itself should Iran retaliate.
In response to a request for comment, the US National Security Council referred Reuters to comments Trump made on Thursday, when he told reporters he has not waved Israel off an attack but that he was not ‘in a rush’ to support military action against Tehran.
‘I think that Iran has a chance to have a great country and to live happily without death,’ Trump said. ‘That’s my first option. If there’s a second option, I think it would be very bad for Iran, and I think Iran is wanting to talk.’
The Israeli prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A senior Israeli official told Reuters that no decision has been made yet on an Iranian strike.
A senior Iranian security official said Tehran was aware of Israeli planning and that an attack would provoke ‘a harsh and unwavering response from Iran.’
‘We have intelligence from reliable sources that Israel is planning a major attack on Iran’s nuclear sites. This stems from dissatisfaction with ongoing diplomatic efforts regarding Iran’s nuclear program, and also from Netanyahu’s need for conflict as a means of political survival,’ the official told Reuters.
Tell Nutty Yahoo, 1.2.3.4 WE DON’T WANT YOUR STINKIN” WAR!
The “nuclear bomb” narrative is misdirection, as the CIA has reported, since 2007, that there is no Iranian nuclear weapons programme. Trump has demanded that the entire enrichment programme be dismantled, along with Iran’s conventional missile system, which includes defensive weapons. Just so people understand, medical isotopes require Technetium which is enrichment to 30%. The JCPOA limited enrichment to 16%. The main beneficiaries of Iran not producing medical isotopes are Israel and the US. This is all about the US and the Zio-crazies controlling markets. Bibi has told the US that the attack should be decapitation, not against oil installations. Why? Because they believe that with removal of the leadership, Iranians will welcome them with open arms and allow the US and the Zio0-crazies to put their people in charge of Iran’s oil and gas.