Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed for renewed strikes against Iran, but US officials urged him to wait until the Trump administration was ready to launch joint military operations, two American officials and an Israeli security source told CNN on Monday.
"Netanyahu was very eager and even tried to persuade Trump to carry out a joint strike on Iran before the elections, but Trump did not give the green light," the Israeli security source told CNN.
The source added that one reason for Trump's refusal was a warning from IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir to Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, that such an operation would disrupt Israel's elections, scheduled for October 27, 2026, and force them to be postponed.
US forces stationed in the Middle East are prepared to launch new military operations against Iran, potentially on a large scale, within 96 hours of receiving an order from President Donald Trump, two US officials told CNN.
According to the sources, sufficient forces are already deployed in the region to carry out the potential strikes. They said the scope of any new US military campaign would go beyond limited "mowing the grass" operations, a term used to describe repeated strikes intended to degrade an adversary's capabilities, or efforts to maintain the status quo by targeting Iranian radar systems, launchers and other assets that can be quickly rebuilt. Such limited operations have continued since Trump halted full-scale combat operations earlier this year.
"It will be a big effort," one official told CNN.
Other current and former US officials familiar with internal military planning discussions expressed similar assessments. Some said the question was no longer whether Trump would order military action, but when. They believe the order could come at any point before the end of the year, although it is more likely to follow the US midterm elections.
Iranian forces are now more familiar with American military tactics, making it harder for the US military to effectively destroy all designated targets. Nevertheless, senior officials at US Central Command (CENTCOM) and the Pentagon have drawn up an extensive target list that includes Iranian energy infrastructure, military sites and nuclear facilities.
According to the officials, Trump has not yet made a final decision on how to proceed after the midterm elections, but he appears increasingly inclined to authorize a large-scale operation. The sources cautioned, however, that Trump has previously appeared ready to pursue a particular course of action only to reverse his position at the last minute. The White House declined to comment.
A senior Pentagon official told CNN in a statement: "The Department (of Defense) is a planning organization, and its role is to develop and execute military options as directed by the president."
According to two additional sources familiar with the matter, recent US intelligence assessments indicate that Iran and the Houthi rebels in Yemen are taking the possibility of renewed American strikes, and potentially Israeli strikes as well, very seriously.
