TEL AVIV, Israel — Iran's nuclear facilities are “extremely” difficult for Israeli forces to attack, defense officials tell the Post, and the Jewish state is prepared to take such drastic steps if authorities deem it necessary. He added that there is. Donald Trump is not opposed to that possibility.
Israel has been at war with Iran since October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists killed approximately 1,200 civilians and kidnapped hundreds more.
Israeli officials say Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen make up the tentacles of Iran's “octopus” threat.
Now, with Tehran severely weakened after more than a year of conflict, Israel is bent on wiping out Iran's nuclear capabilities, if necessary by force, insiders told the Post. .
“We have no choice [not to address the threat] because we understand [Iran’s nuclear weapons] and our position is that we are against it and hope there is a way to stop it in a non-military way,” one official explained. “But if this is not the case, we are prepared to take military action.”
Iran has been building up its nuclear capabilities for years, and in 2018 President Trump announced the so-called Comprehensive Joint The United States withdrew from the Plan of Action (JCPOA). Strengthen the nuclear program and enable greater international inspections.
“I think the nuclear issue is bigger than it seems,” one Israeli defense official told the Post. “One is the way it's spread out. It's underground, it's in multiple locations, so it's very difficult to completely wipe it all out at the same time. But some of it is really deep underground.”
The complexity of the deployment would also require large-scale military capabilities, such as the so-called “bunker buster” bombs used by Israel in the Beirut attack in September that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
The United States sent 2,000 pounds of weapons to Israel in 2023, but President Biden halted another shipment of ammunition last year, citing concerns that it would be used in Gaza. This has caused controversy, with Israeli supporters claiming it was done to appease pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
Moreover, the global impact of such a mission could be enormous, as Iran is one of the four countries that make up the Axis of Nations against the West, along with China, Russia, and North Korea.
“That could threaten global stability, because if Russia and North Korea saw that we attacked the nuclear-armed president of Iran, they might be like, 'Wait, what's going on?' Because they can’t do it,” an Israeli insider told the Post. “This is a global issue, as well as one in which the U.S. [will have to confront.]”
Israel is also unlikely to benefit from strategic ambiguity, as it did when it attacked a suspected nuclear reactor in Syria in September 2007, the official added.
“There hasn't been an attack on a nuclear facility in years, and I think the world is different.” [in] The current structure, social media and everything else,” the source said. “Fifteen years ago, when we attacked a nuclear power plant in Syria, we didn't even talk about it for 10 years. It helped us save face, but it didn't. [provoke] Anything. “
Officials told the Tel Aviv Post that they were confident Trump would stand by the U.S. ally as Israeli officials discussed options.
Unlike Biden, Trump has not publicly condemned such potential measures and has consistently shown support for letting Israel determine its own defense strategy.
“What Israel really needs is for the United States to support us if we attack Iran,” Mika Goodman, an Israeli philosopher and fellow at the Salom Hartman Institute, told the Post last month. said in an interview. “We need to know that America is with us and will either attack Iran with us or give us everything we need.” [from its] Armory. ”
“Once Iran becomes nuclear-armed, what remains of the old world order will collapse,” he added.
Goodman added: “The United States has said Iran does not have a nuclear bomb.” “George Bush, Obama, Trump, Biden, I mean, this is not just a promise from one president. This has been going on for many terms, and if Iran reaches a nuclear attack, American words will be worth nothing. It means that.”
The Biden administration has frequently armchairly attacked the IDF's moves in the war effort against Hamas, but several Israeli leaders told the Post they hope the war will not continue under the Trump administration. spoke.
“What we all know is that the United States has always stood by our side over the years, since Israel was founded as a nation,” a Defense Department spokesperson told the Post. . “I am confident that we will continue to stand by our side, as we have done for many years, especially on the Iran axis.” [threatening the world]”
