Israel concerned Iran may launch attack before Trump's inauguration
Israeli officials are concerned that Iran may “act against” Israel before President-elect Donald J. Trump is inaugurated on Jan. 20, according to a Jerusalem Post report.
With Trump set to adopt a much stronger stance against the Iranian regime than the Biden administration, Israeli defense officials believe that Iran may use the next two months to conduct operations against Israel in ways that would not be possible under a staunchly pro-Israel US president.
“Concerns have been raised within Israel’s defense establishment that Iran might try to exploit the period,” the Jerusalem Post reported, saying that Israel has “begun intensifying intelligence sharing and situational assessments with the US military to prevent overlooking critical developments.”
The report added that “many within the defense community believe that the diplomatic efforts to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions ‘have run their course,’” and that military action must be taken to stop Iran’s nuclear program.
During his presidential campaign, Trump criticized the Biden administration for its perceived weakness abroad, specifically targeting its approach to Iran.
Earlier this year, Biden said he would not support an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear sites.
Trump criticized Biden’s remarks, indicating that he would back Israel should it choose to conduct such a strike.
“They asked [Biden], what do you think about Iran, would you hit Iran?” Trump said in October.
“And he goes, ‘As long as they don’t hit the nuclear stuff.’ That’s the thing you wanna hit, right? I said I think he’s got that one wrong. Isn’t that the one you’re supposed to hit?”
“But when they asked him that question, the answer should have been, ‘Hit the nuclear first, and worry about the rest later,’” Trump concluded.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
