US President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, as the United States prepares to resume strikes on Iran, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
The call took place after Trump discussed options for resuming military operations with senior military commanders.
Israel’s defense establishment has remained ambiguous regarding preparations for a possible escalation with Iran, as the White House attempted to offer the Iranian regime another opportunity to return to negotiations, according to Israeli defense assessments.
Defense officials assess that the Iranians, who are facing an economic crisis that is worsening from week to week, will not sign an agreement requiring them to completely abandon their nuclear program, and certainly will not agree to stop producing ballistic missiles that now also threaten Europe.
Accordingly, the assessment is that Iran is merely attempting to buy time. Iran has reportedly been deliberately prolonging negotiations ahead of the US midterm elections.
US, Israel posture for strikes, but war unlikely to occur before midterm elections
Defense officials further assess that despite preparations by the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) for a possible strike on Iran, the White House will not order an operation against the Iranian regime before the US midterm elections unless it detects preparations for a surprise attack.
The US and Israel have also reportedly drawn up plans for renewed strikes on Iran after the midterms.
It is worth noting that more than 3,000 American troops are currently stationed in Israel, and no sharp increase was recorded in the number of US military aircraft redirected to the country during the previous week. This contrasts with the unprecedented deployment of US military refueling aircraft that filled the runways at Ben-Gurion Airport and Ramon Airport, alongside a significant presence at Israeli Air Force bases.
US Air Force aircrafts arrive at IAF bases
Last week, ten US Air Force (USAF) transport aircraft arrived at IAF bases in southern Israel as part of a larger Middle East air convoy transferring military equipment across the region, KAN News reported.
The aircraft, which came from Texas’ Fort Bliss base, are likely stocked with air defense systems intended to protect regional assets amid reported US warnings earlier this week of a potential “short, focused war with Iran,” according to KAN.
Other aircraft in the air convoy landed in Jordan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, with the KAN report coming after an earlier report that the US had transferred an additional Patriot system to the region pending a potential escalation with Iran.
An Israeli source told KAN that the US and Israel are closely coordinating on Iran, with reports that an additional US naval aircraft carrier will join American forces in the region, alongside an additional Marine unit.\
Two weeks ago, dozens of Israel Air Force fighter jets flew “as far as the Iranian border” before turning around and returning to Israel in a practice sortie, according to an Axios report citing US and Israeli officials.
