JERUSALEM, Israel – The U.S. and Israel are ramping up the possibility of fresh attacks on Iran. Tehran has signaled that any new confrontation could come at a steep price. And in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayu has defined what he believes is at stake for the future of Israel.
The plans for strikes come as Washington’s frustration grows over Tehran’s refusal to return to negotiations.
President Trump indicated on Thursday that something could happen soon.
The president stated, “We are going to have something one way or the other that will happen fairly soon. Most people seem to think it’s after the midterm elections.”
A new campaign would target Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, along with energy infrastructure.
ABC News reports that White House spokesperson Anna Kelly released a statement saying, “The United States will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the midterm elections.”
Trump accused Iran on Truth Social of fabricating reports of attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
He posted, “Iran is doing everything they can to drive up the price of oil prior to the U.S. midterm election.”
Iran’s warning of retaliation is stark. Issued publicly and in private diplomatic communications, Tehran threatens that it will strike not only American bases and warships, but airports, pipelines, and other civilian targets in the neighboring countries of the Persian Gulf.
Analysts estimate that Iran has hundreds to thousands of ballistic missiles, and U.S. and regional officials believe it has resumed production using stockpiled components.
Iran is also showing off new drones, including an upgraded Arash model that state television says can carry a 220-pound warhead.
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For Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Iranian nuclear threat remains personal.
In an interview this week with The Jerusalem Post, he observed, “The real issue is this: Iran, about a year ago, was on the verge of developing several atomic bombs.”
He stressed that preventing Iran from getting the means to destroy Israel has been his life’s mission.
“I don’t need the job,” he insisted. “I’m fueled by mission. And I’ve dedicated the bulk of my adult life to try to prevent them from having the means to destroy us.”
Netanyahu also remarked that he would listen carefully to President Trump’s call to “finish the job.”
“But the only leader to do it in Israel is me…and he (Trump) said, ‘I won’t do it with anyone else.'”
And in Judea and Samaria, more violence, as two gunmen opened fire near the town of Hebron on Friday morning, injuring five people, two critically. Israeli soldiers shot and killed he two attackers, and the military launched a raid in Hebron. The prime minister ordered Hebron closed ahead of a full lockdown across the West Bank.
The events are occurring just days before Israel’s important elections on Tuesday. A new poll basically shows a dead heat between Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc and the opposition led by Gadi Eisenkot.
