US asks Israel to delay Iran strike, CNN reports
- United States President Donald Trump’s administration has requested that Israel delay any potential military action against Iran until Washington is prepared to participate, according to CNN.
- military is prepared to launch a major operation against Iran within 96 hours of receiving the order from Trump, according to CNN.
- The Prime Minister’s Office denied the report, calling it “fake news,” without elaborating.
United States President Donald Trump’s administration has requested that Israel delay any potential military action against Iran until Washington is prepared to participate, according to CNN. The report, which cites two U.S. officials and an Israeli security source, states that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had lobbied the U.S. to conduct a joint strike prior to the elections.
Military Readiness and Diplomatic Lobbying
The U.S. military is prepared to launch a major operation against Iran within 96 hours of receiving the order from Trump, according to CNN. Sources familiar with the planning indicated that any planned attacks would be a big effort rather than mowing the lawn, targeting military sites, nuclear facilities and crucial infrastructure. While the U.S. has asked for a delay, sources told CNN that American forces are prepared to launch.
Evidence compiled by CNN suggests that the United States military was responsible for the strike on an elementary school in southern Iran that killed scores of children, in what is the deadliest incident of civilian casualties in the US and Israel's almost week-long war with… pic.twitter.com/lDDDHnMJFU
The Prime Minister’s Office denied the report, calling it “fake news,” without elaborating. Defense Minister Israel Katz also denied reports of friction, stating, I state unequivocally that there was no intention on Israel’s part to initiate an attack on Iran before the elections in Israel – when we made clear that if Iran attacks Israel, we will respond with great force, and all reports on the matter are entirely false.
Internal Israeli Political Disputes
Reports of a clash between Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir surfaced, with Channel 12 reporting that Netanyahu and Zamir had clashed over a proposed military operation. Based on the Israeli informant referenced by CNN, Trump withheld approval for an immediate strike partly due to Zamir cautioning that such action might cause the Knesset election to be postponed.
Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman has called for a criminal investigation into the prime minister, telling 103FM that he intends to approach the attorney-general to request a criminal investigation into Netanyahu on treason allegations. Liberman claimed that Netanyahu was trying to drag Israel into an armed conflict either to postpone the upcoming vote or stop it from happening altogether. Just two days prior to the Israeli electorate casting their ballots, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released an artificial intelligence-generated picture on Sunday showing an atomic blast hitting Tel Aviv alongside a grim caution concerning Tehran’s atomic pursuits. Critics, including Democrats party chairman Yair Golan, condemned the post as an attempt to spread panic.
Regional Diplomatic Efforts in Tehran
Amid ongoing friction, the spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Esmail Baghaei, informed journalists in Tehran that while a formal schedule had not been finalized for the gathering, the discussions would certainly focus on the most urgent threats to regional stability.
In a separate development, a spokesperson for the coalition led by Saudi Arabia reported that a military strike inside Houthi-held territory successfully knocked out an extra missile depot, four missile launchers, and five subterranean passages used to store ballistic munitions.