Report: IDF Prepares for Possibility Trump Will Strike Iran

The IDF has in recent weeks been instructed to prepare for the possibility that the U.S. will conduct a military strike against Iran before President Donald Trump leaves office in January, Walla News reported.

Senior Israeli officials involved in the matter told Walla’s political correspondent Barak Ravid that the political echelon’s directive to the IDF did not come because of information or an estimate that the Trump administration would act against Iran, but more because of the sensitive period in the weeks leading up to the January change of government in Washington.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz has spoken twice in the past two weeks with Acting U.S. Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller. These talks dealt with the Iranian issue, the situation in Syria and the security memorandum of understanding between Israel and the United States.

According to the report, if the Trump administration acts against Iran, Israel is expected to receive advance warning of the action. However, due to the great uncertainty, the army has been instructed to ensure that Israel’s defense systems are ready for any scenario that may arise from a U.S. attack on Iran.

Israel fears that in the event of an American attack, the Iranians may retaliate by attacking Israel through the pro-Iranian militias in Syria or the Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon.