Illustrative image. (Israeli Air Force)
The political leadership of Israel expects and is prepared to participate in a United States attack on Iran, even after President Donald Trump said he canceled an attack planned for May 19 because Gulf states convinced him that reaching a deal with the Islamic Republic was possible, Channel 12 reported.
Officials in Israel believe Trump’s announcement only further narrowed his options, assessing that unless Iran presents a dramatically improved proposal — something Israeli officials view as unlikely — the president will ultimately feel compelled to respond militarily, according to the news channel.
The report points to multiple developments suggesting heightened preparation for an attack by the U.S. on the Islamic Republic, adding that Israel is likely to coordinate with the U.S.
A day earlier, a limited security meeting convened by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lasted nearly five hours – with the Israeli military chief of staff, air force chief, head of military intelligence, head of the Operations Directorate, and other senior defense officials in attendance – to ensure full preparedness for the possibility of an American strike, Channel 12 said.
The channel also noted in its report that Netanyahu canceled his court testimony for tomorrow without opposition from the prosecution.
Asked on May 19 how long he’s willing to wait on Iran while showing off the construction of the White House ballroom to a group of reporters, Trump gave a vague timeline.
“I’m saying two or three days — maybe Friday, Saturday, Sunday, maybe early next week — a limited period of time,” Trump claimed.
“I hope we don’t have to do the war, but we may have to give them another big hit… I’m not sure yet, you’ll know very soon,” he added, issuing yet another threat against Iran.
Trump alleged that a day earlier, he was “an hour away from making the decision” to attack Iran. He then contradicted himself and said that he had already “made the decision” to strike when the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates purportedly reached out to convince him to hold off.
Since then, the Iranian military has warned that it will not hesitate to “open new fronts” against the U.S. and Israel if war resumes.
While Trump’s latest remarks were seen as positive, there are yet no real signs of real progress in diplomatic efforts led by Pakistan.
Trump had in the past claimed to give talks with Iran a chance before attacking the Islamic Republic right after. This time, however, Tehran is clearly keeping its finger on the trigger.
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