An Iranian message urged Hezbollah to prepare for the possibility of Iran coming under a US attack, according to two sources who said the message included an assessment that carrying out the attack had become a «matter of time» and that the group should be prepared in turn. The message came as global media reported that Israel and the United States were considering the possibility of striking Iran before elections expected to be held in both countries.
Netanyahu and Trump discuss operation against Iran
Axios quoted US and Israeli officials as saying that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed with US President Donald Trump, during the past week, the possibility of carrying out a major new military operation against Iran before the Israeli and US elections.
In contrast, a White House official described reports that Netanyahu and Trump had discussed resuming the war as «untrue». The official confirmed that Trump had announced that the United States would not attack Iran before the midterm elections scheduled for next November.
According to Axios, the call concerning the possible attack took place before Trump announced that he would not carry out a strike against Iran before the midterm elections. The outlet also quoted an Israeli official as saying that Netanyahu had expressed concern during the call over Israeli intelligence indicating that Iran was taking what he described as worrying steps to rebuild its nuclear programme.
Repeated Israeli contacts to discuss resuming operations
Sources said Netanyahu had held several calls with Trump over the past two weeks to discuss a return to major combat operations in Iran. The discussions included the possibility of a joint US-Israeli operation targeting Iranian military and nuclear sites.
According to the report, part of Israel’s concern centres on the possibility that Iran could use the «Jabal al-Fas» facility for uranium enrichment. The sources said the Israeli and US militaries remained on alert and were continuing to complete preparations to ensure readiness if Trump changed his position.
