The Israel Defense Forces have been instructed to prepare for a possible U.S. military strike on Iran before incumbent Donald Trump leaves office. This is reported by Axios with reference to high-ranking Israeli officials.
The Israeli government has instructed the military to make preparations not based on any intelligence or estimates that Trump will order a strike, but because senior Israeli officials are expecting a “very sensitive period” before the inauguration of US President-elect Joe Biden on January 20, the newspaper notes.
The Israeli army's readiness measures are linked to a possible Iranian retaliation against Israel directly or through Iranian proxies in Syria, Gaza and Lebanon, Israeli officials said.
Last week it became known about Trump's desire to strike at a nuclear facility in Iran. The New York Times learned about this from four sources, including current and former government officials.
The publication suggests that the US President could have had in mind an object in the Iranian city of Netenz, but the White House did not comment on this information.
In 2018, the United States reinstated sanctions against Iran in full, and also withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan (JCPOA), which limits Iran's nuclear development. Washington called it a response to the “export of violence, terror and disorder.”
