According to sources, Donald Trump assured Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu of his readiness to back Israeli strikes against Iran if no agreement is reached between Washington and Tehran.
According to Ukrinform, citing CBS News, these details were disclosed by two sources familiar with the matter.
“President Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu at a December meeting at Mar-a-Lago that he would back Israeli strikes against targets tied to Iran’s ballistic missile program if a deal between Washington and Tehran is not reached,” two sources familiar with the matter said.
– two sources familiar with the matter
Context and the positions of the parties
According to American military and intelligence circles, the U.S. administration focused less on the prospect of Israel going to war than on ways Washington could support strikes on Iran. Among the options cited were mid-air refueling of Israeli aircraft and issues with permissions to fly through the airspace of neighboring countries.
It is unclear which countries would allow the passage of American aviation to refuel Israeli planes in the event of a potential strike. Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates publicly stated that they would not allow the use of their airspace for attacks on Iran – just as Iran could strike other countries.
In U.S. domestic political and operational circles, discussions within the national security apparatus blended with demonstrations of power in relations with Iran and the region at large. It was also reported that the second American aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, as part of a carrier strike group, would move toward the Middle East.
Netanyahu remains skeptical about the success of diplomacy with Iran and insists that any agreement must include restrictions on ballistic missiles.
According to analysts, the United States is considering scenarios with possible operations against Iran that could last several weeks under President Trump’s orders, if a deal between Washington and Tehran is not deemed acceptable to Kyiv.