Israel could attack Iran's nuclear facilities in 2025
Israel is considering attacking Iran's nuclear facilities in the coming months, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post reported, citing unnamed US officials.
On February 12, the Wall Street Journal reported that US intelligence agencies presented a report, claiming that Israeli leaders are "considering significant attacks on Iranian nuclear sites" by 2025.
The Washington Post reported on February 13 that the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Defense Intelligence Agency's intelligence directorate had concluded that Iran's Fordow and Natanz nuclear sites could be targeted "in the first six months of 2025." The newspaper cited sources as saying that Israel believes the Islamic Republic's air defenses were weakened after the late October attack and that Tehran is more vulnerable due to economic hardships related to sanctions.
According to the paper, US intelligence agencies envision Israel launching ballistic missiles from outside Iranian airspace or dropping bunker-busting bombs from fighter jets flying over targets. Both scenarios would likely require US support “in the form of aerial refueling as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance,” the paper said.
The Wall Street Journal, citing its sources, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sees President Donald Trump as more accommodating of military action against Tehran than his predecessor, Joe Biden.
Iran has recently signaled it is open to dialogue with the United States, with the Iranian foreign ministry clarifying last week that "if the main obstacle for the United States is Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons, then that can be resolved."
Earlier this week, President Trump told Fox News that “everybody thinks that Israel, with our help or with our approval, is going to go in and bomb Iran like hell,” adding that he “doesn’t want that to happen.” Last month, he expressed hope that Iran would agree to a “deal” regarding its nuclear program.
Back in 2015, the Islamic Republic signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with world powers, agreeing to limit its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, until Trump withdrew the United States from the deal in 2018 during his first term./.
