Israel believes U.S. President Donald Trump is closer than ever to ordering a large-scale military strike against Iran, though he has not yet made a final decision, according to a senior Israeli official cited by the Israeli network N12.
The official said Israel has raised its alert level and assessed that Trump has not yet determined the scope of any attack, nor whether he wants Israel to participate alongside the United States from the first phase.
The official added that Trump views negotiations with Iran as a stalling tactic and described him as furious, angry, and frustrated.
According to the official, a scenario presented to Trump at the White House supports the Israeli assessment that a large-scale, targeted strike on energy facilities could destabilize the Iranian government. Such a strike, the official said, could be time-limited and would not necessarily trigger an energy war that would send prices soaring, as it would focus on specific installations capable of causing significant impact on Iranian society.
The official said it remains unclear whether Trump will choose that option or maintain a naval blockade until the midterm elections, but framed the question as one of timing rather than intent, saying all signs point toward Trump having no other option.
Israel also assesses that a major American strike would very likely provoke Iranian retaliation against Israel, drawing it directly into the conflict even if it is excluded from the initial phase.
Axios Report and Trump’s Cabinet Remarks
Separately, Axios reported that Trump is seriously considering ordering airstrikes against Iranian energy targets within the coming days, citing an American official. The report said a new U.S. military operation targeting energy and critical infrastructure would aim to increase pressure on Tehran to accept American terms in ongoing ceasefire negotiations.
The same report indicated Israel could take part in the strikes for the first time in several weeks, which would raise the risk of fresh Iranian missile attacks on Israeli targets.
At the opening of a cabinet meeting on Friday, Trump signaled that new military escalation with Iran was imminent, saying the U.S. would hit Iran very hard and that Iran would eventually say it could take no more. He also said continuing American strikes were weakening Iran.
White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt told Axios that, as Trump said at the cabinet meeting, the United States would prevail and Iran would not obtain a nuclear weapon during his presidency.
An American official said Washington believes Iran has adopted a particularly aggressive posture in recent days, and that some U.S. officials were surprised by the level of escalation Tehran was willing to display.
Earlier, the United States extended a travel warning to all American citizens in the Middle East. The State Department urged Americans in the region to exercise heightened caution, prepare for possible flight cancellations and airspace closures, and consider departing or being ready to do so if the situation escalates further.
