Israel planning strike on Iran nuclear facilities?

 RT:

The chance of an Israeli military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities “has gone up significantly” in recent months, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing multiple US officials familiar with new intelligence assessments.

While Israeli leadership has not made a final decision, recently intercepted communications suggest that planning is actively underway, unnamed sources have told the network.

US intelligence has also noted Israeli military activities, including the movement of air munitions and the completion of air exercises, which could indicate preparations for an “imminent strike.”

Several officials acknowledged that these actions might serve as a strategic signal to Iran, aiming to pressure Tehran into concessions during ongoing negotiations with Washington. However, one source cited by CNN warned that “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.”

US President Donald Trump tore up the 2015 UN-backed agreement on Iran’s nuclear program during his first term in office. He accused Tehran of secretly violating the deal and reimposed sanctions.

Iran responded by rolling back its own compliance with the accord and accelerated its enrichment of uranium. Since returning to the White House, Trump has been pressuring Tehran into a new agreement and has even threatened to bomb the country if a deal isn’t reached.

Iran and Israel exchanged strikes in April and October of last year, marking the most dramatic escalation between the regional rivals.

Earlier this year, Israel reportedly proposed “an extensive bombing campaign” to knock out Iranian nuclear facilities, according to the New York Times, but Trump refused to back it, opting instead to pursue diplomacy. Since then, according to Reuters, West Jerusalem has been considering a more “limited strike” that would require minimal US support.

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Israelis on too small a land mass to survive a large nuclear strike, and it is dealing with an Iranian government that thinks it is on a mission from God.  Militarily, Israel is likely superior.  Israel has the weapons it would need for a strike on Iran.  It is unlikely that Iran will agree to a deal brokered by Trump and the US.

See also:

Trump says US close to a nuclear deal with Iran