Israeli Military Told to Prepare for Possible US Strike on Iran Ahead of Trump Exit – Report

Citing senior Israeli officials, Axios reported Wednesday that service members of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were recently instructed to prepare for a potential US strike on Iran before US President Donald Trump is expected to leave office in January.

Officials with knowledge of the instruction explained to the outlet that the IDF was informed by the Israeli government of the change not because it had confirmed knowledge of an imminent US strike, but rather because Israeli officials felt that if such an attack unfolded, they would not have sufficient time to be fully prepared. Unidentified senior sources further noted that they felt Trump’s presumed final months in the White House would be “a very sensitive period,” noting that preparedness measures were also linked to a possible attack by Iran against Israel either directly or through Iranian proxies in the Middle East. Tensions between Iran and Israel have remained heated for years; however, most recently, Israeli forces carried out retaliatory strikes on Iranian targets in Syria after its troops detected roadside bombs in the Golan Heights. Israeli officials claimed that the bombs were planted by members of the Syrian Armed Forces and the Iranian Quds Force and that the act was a violation of Israel’s sovereignty. Earlier this month, H.R. McMaster, a retired US Army lieutenant general who previously served as a national security adviser.