Even as US President Donald Trump is close to a historic nuclear deal with Iran, Washington is increasingly nervous that Israel could launch an attack on the Iranian nuclear program without much warning.
Israel could launch an attack alone on the Iranian nuclear sites in as little as seven hours, the New York Times reported, citing senior US intelligence officials.
This would give the Trump administration little time to attempt to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to change his mind.
Such an attack would effectively kill the nuclear deal and the ongoing negotiations between the US and Iran. The US intelligence officials reportedly doubt if a unilateral strike by Israel will be able to achieve its objective. However, they believe that an Iranian counter-attack would force the US to come to Israel’s support.
According to the report, Israeli officials have told Washington that a strike could be carried out even if a nuclear agreement is reached between the US and Iran.
The report has once again raised fears that Israel could launch a unilateral attack on Iran to sabotage the deal.
Notably, this is not the first time that such reports have emerged in the Western media or even in the New York Times, ascribing such motives to Israel, that Netanyahu is planning to attack Iranian Nuclear Sites on his own.
In fact, such reports have been a regular feature in the Western press over the last year.
Multiple Western Media Reports On Israel’s Imminent Strikes On Iranian Nuke Facilities
In September last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that Israel had sent “clear messages” to Iran through backchannels, warning that any attack on Israeli territory would prompt a response, potentially targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Further, in October, the USA Today and Forbes reported that Israel was weighing its response to Iran’s October 1 missile attack, with nuclear sites among the potential targets.
In February this year, the Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post reported once again that the US intelligence officials concluded during the final days of the Biden administration that Israel was considering significant strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in 2025, aiming to take advantage of Iran’s weakness.
Last month, the New York Times reported that Israel had planned a joint strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities with U.S. support as early as May 2025, but President Trump blocked the plan in favor of diplomatic talks.
These frequent and regular reports in Western media give the impression that an Israeli strike on Iranian Nuclear facilities, with or without US support, is imminent and can happen anytime.
The question then arises, why Israel has not launched these strikes till now, despite the supposed ‘weakness’ of Iran at this juncture?
The question also arises whether these multiple media reports, all based on anonymous intelligence officials, are appearing in the media at regular intervals under a specific agenda.
This question assumes even more significance when viewed in the context of multiple opportunities Israel had to attack Iranian nuclear sites in the last year.
Missed Opportunities?
In 2024, Israel launched air strikes on Iran twice.
First, in April 2024, Israel launched limited airstrikes targeting an air defense radar site at an airbase near Isfahan, Iran. The attack was in retaliation for Iran’s drone and missile strikes on Israel on April 13, 2024. The strikes in Isfahan caused minimal damage, with no reported hits on nuclear or oil facilities, and were described as a calibrated effort to avoid escalation.
Then, in October last year, Israel carried out a larger series of airstrikes, codenamed “Operation Days of Repentance,” targeting military sites in Iran, including missile production facilities and air defense systems in provinces such as Tehran, Khuzestan, and Ilam. The operation involved over 100 aircraft, including F-35 stealth fighters, and was a response to Iran’s October 1 missile attack on Israel.
However, even during the October strikes, Israel carefully avoided Iranian nuclear and oil infrastructure to prevent broader escalation.
Twice in the last year, Israel had the opportunity and justification to launch an all-out attack on Iranian nuclear sites. However, on both occasions, Israel carefully avoided nuclear sites.
This shows that, despite the Israeli rhetoric and notwithstanding the media reports in the Western press, Israel wants to avoid a full-scale war with Iran without explicit US support.
It is worth noting that Israel wanted explicit US backing even for tackling the Houthis’ threat in the Red Sea. The Houthi militia is only indirectly supported by Iran. They do not have oil money or cutting-edge weapons.
However, even against the Houthis, the combined US and Israeli operations achieved only limited success. Earlier this month, the New York Times reported that the US abandoned its operations against the Houthis without achieving its objectives, as Trump was apprehensive of a long, drawn-out war in the Middle East.
Israel understands that when it can not tackle Houthis without US support, entering a full-scale war with Iran without US backing could be a costly mistake.
Still, at regular intervals, reports appear in Western media, based on anonymous intelligence sources, claiming that Israel could launch a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities within months, and even without US backing.
Such reports have appeared more frequently ever since Trump announced his desire to engage Iran in nuclear talks.
Understandably, Israel is wholly opposed to any Iranian nuclear deal.
Last month, opposing Iranian nuclear talks, Netanyahu said: “The only ‘good deal’ would be one modeled on the deal that Libya agreed to in 2003, under which Tehran’s entire nuclear program, both military and civilian, would be dismantled completely.”
It would not be surprising to find these lobby groups working behind the scenes for such media reports.
For now, Trump remains hopeful that an Iranian nuclear deal is within reach.
Trump said on Sunday that there could be “something good” coming about his effort to limit Iran’s nuclear program in the “next two days.”
Will Israel strike Iran or will Iran strike a deal with the U.S. remains to be seen!
- Sumit Ahlawat has over a decade of experience in news media. He has worked with Press Trust of India, Times Now, Zee News, Economic Times, and Microsoft News. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Media and Modern History from the University of Sheffield, UK.
- THIS IS AN OPINION ARTICLE. VIEWS PERSONAL OF THE AUTHOR.
- He can be reached at ahlawat.sumit85 (at) gmail.com
