The Israeli air force is apparently readying itself for a potential strike against Iran’s nuclear program as the incoming Trump administration is also reportedly mulling a “maximum pressure 2.0” campaign against Tehran as the situation in the Middle East rapidly evolves.
The fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime – a former ally of Iran – due in large part to the dismantling of Hezbollah in Lebanon, and in extension Syria, has not only once again changed the political landscape in the Middle East, it has left Tehran increasingly isolated.
Israeli reports on Thursday said the evolving reality in the region has prompted Israel to once again consider targeting Iran’s nuclear program, which Jerusalem and its international allies have deemed one of the greatest emerging threats at a time when tensions between the West and nations like Russia and Iran continue to deteriorate.
President-elect Donald Trump, left, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Trump has promised “hell to pay” if hostages being held by Hamas are not released prior to when he takes office on Jan. 20. (AP/Sebastian Scheiner)
Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment on alleged plans to hit Iran’s nuclear program, though it is a step long viewed as taboo and one that Jerusalem already pursued earlier this year.
The U.S., under the Biden administration, along with its international partners including the International Atomic Energy Agency, have urged Israel not to strike Iran’s nuclear installations.
However, last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the IDF had hit and degraded part of Iran’s nuclear program during a retaliatory strike in late October, but he warned it was not enough to thwart Tehran’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon.
In a similar sentiment, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in November that Iran was “more exposed than ever [for] strikes on its nuclear facilities.”
“We have the opportunity to achieve our most important goal – to thwart and eliminate the existential threat to the State of Israel,” he added.
The Foundation for Defense of Democracies has analyzed where Iran’s nuclear infrastructure is located as Israel mulls retaliatory attack. (Image provided by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies)
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It remains unclear to what extent Iran’s nuclear program has been impacted by the Israeli strikes, and the IAEA continues to assess that Iran is rapidly bolstering its stockpiles of near-weapons grade enriched uranium.
President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to once again take a hard-line approach when it comes to Tehran’s attempts to develop a nuclear weapon, and a report by the Wall Street Journal on Friday said his transition team was evaluating a “maximum pressure 2.0” campaign.
In this file photo obtained from the Iranian Fars News Agency, a Qadr H long-range ballistic surface-to-surface missile is fired by Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard, during a maneuver, in an undisclosed location in Iran, on March 9, 2016. (AP Photo/Fars News Agency, Omid Vahabzadeh)
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Trump has reportedly called on his team to devise options on how the U.S. could clamp down on Iran’s nuclear ambitions, including through the possible use of preventive airstrikes, though without pulling the U.S. military into a war with Tehran.
Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the Trump transition team for comment, though in an interview with the president-elect released on Thursday, Time magazine questioned the possibility of the U.S. going to war with Iran, to which Trump responded “anything can happen.”
