Netanyahu Holds Special Meeting to Discuss Israeli Military Preparations for Striking Iran

Israeli Channel 12 reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a special meeting on Thursday to discuss preparations by the Israeli military for a potential third strike against Iran.

Israeli media sources indicated that the meeting would also address expectations that the administration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump may adopt a more aggressive stance toward Iran.

Separately, the news website Axios cited unnamed sources as saying that Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer sensed, after a meeting with Trump on November 10, that the president-elect might support an Israeli airstrike on Iranian nuclear facilities or potentially order a U.S. strike against Iran himself.

Late last month, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Mossad Director David Barnea called for such a strike in response to attacks carried out by the Houthi movement (Ansar Allah) against Israel. Barnea was quoted as saying, “The head must be struck… Iran.”

Opposition leader Benny Gantz, head of the “State Camp” party, also called for “taking all necessary measures” to defend Israel from what he described as the Iranian threat.

Earlier in the same month, Haaretz reported that a senior Israeli military official told journalists that the Air Force was preparing for what was referred to as the “next major mission,” hinting at a potential operation against Iran.

Other Israeli media outlets discussed the possibility of an aerial attack on Iran, describing the current circumstances as a “historic opportunity” for the occupation state.

In a related development, Israeli military analyst Yossi Yehoshua told the Arabic-language i24 News that “the Israeli military and Air Force are preparing for an attack on Iran.” He noted that these preparations come against the backdrop of a blow suffered by Hezbollah, as well as the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria.

It is worth noting that the occupation state launched two strikes on Iran last year, on October 26 and April 19, in response to Iranian attacks on April 13 and early October. These attacks included ballistic missiles and drones that directly targeted Israeli territory for the first time.