US Urged Israel to Strike Iran Alone: Report

The U.S. pressed Israel to attack Iran on its own during talks over the past two weeks, then backed away after a warning that the operation would probably delay Israeli elections.

Washington sought an Israeli operation, without American forces conducting the attack or joining a combined strike, according to a report by Maariv journalist Ben Caspit.

The request stalled after Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir told U.S. officials that an attack would likely force Israel to postpone its vote.

Caspit cited reporting by journalist Barak Ravid on Zamir’s warning.

For now, Washington has withdrawn the demand, the report said.

Electoral Calculations

Caspit attributed the U.S. approach partly to concerns about the political cost of renewed military action before American midterm elections.

U.S. officials believed an attack could hurt President Donald Trump domestically while benefiting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s elections, the report said.

As a result, they wanted Israel to assume the political risk.

Zamir’s warning challenged that calculation by raising the prospect that military action would disrupt the Israeli election timetable.

Caspit said Netanyahu’s position was not fully clear to him.

The prime minister had held several sensitive conversations and visits over the previous week, with his schedule heavily focused on security matters.

Iran’s Weapons Production

The reported request followed concerns that Iran was rapidly restoring its capacity to manufacture drones and ballistic missiles.

Bloomberg reported on Saturday that Iran had preserved missile and drone factories despite months of American and Israeli bombardment, citing people familiar with the matter.

That surviving capacity allows Tehran to replenish its arsenal.

Western officials cited in the report said Iran remained capable of producing weapons to rebuild its stockpiles.

One said it still possessed substantial inventories of ballistic missiles and anti-ship weapons and could increase them quickly.

Russia was also supplying missiles to Iran, according to the report, consistent with intelligence assessments from June.

Claims of Destruction Challenged

The assessment contrasts with repeated assertions by Trump and his administration that eight months of airstrikes had eliminated Iran’s ability to threaten American bases and U.S. partners in the region.

Trump said earlier this year that Iran’s military had been “completely destroyed.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. had eliminated the country’s “military-industrial capacity.”

The latest reporting points to surviving production facilities as Washington weighs further action. According to Caspit, its recent approach was to have Israel carry out that action alone.