Report: US Asked Israel to Strike Iran Alone Before Elections

Hebrew reports revealed that the United States requested Israel, during a meeting held two weeks ago, to carry out a solo strike against Iran, amid American hesitation about resuming the war, fearing an impact on the midterm elections.

This stems from an assessment that such a strike would harm US President Donald Trump in the American elections, while benefiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Israeli elections, according to the Hebrew newspaper "Maariv".

The newspaper reported that talks between Israel and America regarding Iran over the past two weeks saw the American side demand that Israel launch a strike against Iran, but this step was ultimately aborted.

According to the newspaper, the American request stems from developments in Iran, with some news appearing in foreign media regarding Iran's rapid restoration of its capabilities to produce drones and ballistic missiles.

It noted that nevertheless, the Americans wanted Israel - not Trump - to bear the political risk ahead of the midterm elections; as they believed Israel would actually want to deliver a strike before its own elections, whereas delivering a strike before the elections in the United States could cause political damage to the President.

The Hebrew newspaper stated that the American proposal did not concern launching a strike by the United States or executing a joint operation, but specifically an isolated Israeli strike.

Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir explained to the American side, according to Israeli journalist Barak Ravid, that such a step would likely lead to postponing the elections in Israel, noting that so far, the Americans have backed down from this request.

Reports have so far focused on the fact that "Trump is considering" renewing strikes against Iran, and updates on this matter have also recently emerged. However, it now appears - at least according to the initial proposal - that Trump asked Israel to strike Iran before the elections, but this matter has currently stopped.

The newspaper confirmed that the position of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not entirely clear; his agenda over the past week was characterized by intense focus on security aspects, and he conducted a number of "sensitive" conversations and visits.