Israel is reportedly concerned that President Donald Trump could reach a deal with Tehran without ordering military strikes
A senior Israeli military delegation led by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir made a secret visit to Washington over the weekend amid intensifying tensions over Iran’s nuclear and missile programs and a growing US military posture in the region.
According to Israeli and US media reports, Zamir met with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and other senior US defense officials at the Pentagon to present sensitive intelligence, discuss military options against Iran and attempt to shape ongoing diplomatic contacts between the Trump administration and Tehran.
The visit, which had not been publicly disclosed at the time, comes as Israel grows increasingly concerned that President Donald Trump could ultimately strike a deal with Iran focused narrowly on freezing uranium enrichment while leaving Tehran’s ballistic missile program largely intact and without authorizing military action.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz later met with Zamir in Israel to review the military’s operational readiness “for any possible scenario,” Katz’s office said on Sunday.
The United States has increased its naval and air defense presence in the Middle East, deploying the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, additional guided-missile destroyers and advanced air defense systems in what Trump has described as a “massive and beautiful armada.”
Israeli reports suggest that even senior officials in both countries are unsure whether Trump will opt for military action. Publicly, Trump has said he prefers a diplomatic solution and has refused to reveal his plans even to close allies, arguing that doing so could undermine negotiations. At the same time, he has warned Tehran that “time is running out” and that any future strike would be far harsher than the US-Israeli attacks last summer.
While Israel is careful not to appear to be pushing Washington toward war, officials have privately warned that refraining from action after repeated threats could be perceived as Trump’s “weakness,” according to Ynet. At the same time, they assess that if the US were to strike Iran, Tehran would likely retaliate against Israel, potentially triggering a broader regional confrontation.
Washington insists it does not seek to destabilize Iran or repeat a Libya-style collapse, while Iranian leaders maintain their nuclear program is peaceful and say talks via intermediaries are progressing.