US intelligence sources have observed “indications” that Israel may be preparing to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, as Washington and the Islamic Republic engage in the fifth round of negotiations aimed at achieving a deal to curb Tehran’s nuclear development program.
The report did not provide extensive details on how US intelligence had come to that conclusion, beyond noting the movement of munitions and the completion of a recent aerial exercise by Israel, but senior Western officials told CNN that the likelihood of an Israeli strike had grown.
“The chance of an Israeli strike on an Iranian nuclear facilityhas gone up significantly in recent months,” a source familiar with the intelligence report told CNN. “And the prospect of a Trump-negotiated US-Iran deal that doesn’t remove all of Iran’s uranium makes the chance of a strike more likely.”
However, some stressed that Israel would be wary of taking bold military action that would embarrass Washington on the world stage.
“At the end of the day, the Israeli decision-making is going to be predicated on US policy determinations and actions, and what agreements President Trump does or does not come to with Iran,” Jonathan Panikoff, a former senior intelligence official specializing in the Middle East, told CNN.
Panikoff added that he doubted Netanyahu would carry out a strike on Iran without US approval, due to concerns about damaging Israel’s relationship with the Trump administration.
Some intelligence officials told CNN that the indications suggesting Israel is readying an attack on Iran could also simply be Jerusalem flexing its muscles, in an attempt to pressure Tehran into a diplomatic agreement with the US regarding its nuclear activity.
Although Trump has said that Iran must “act fast” regarding securing a deal, it’s unclear how long the negotiations will continue between the two countries.
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