With its military on high alert, Israel is formulating operational plans for further escalation of the conflict between the United States and Iran, but for now remains on the sidelines and has no immediate plans to participate, three Israeli officials said.
Israel has not directly participated in the new fighting that erupted in early July following an Iranian attack in the Strait of Hormuz, and the United States has not yet asked Israel to join the fighting, officials said. If U.S. President Donald Trump decides to significantly escalate attacks and invite Israel to join, “we will be ready,” one of the sources said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a limited security meeting on Monday night to review the latest developments with Iran, another source said. The meeting discussed scenarios in which Israel could become involved in fighting. Iranian move that provokes Israeli retaliation. or a pre-emptive strike to stop what Israel perceives as an imminent threat.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir on Sunday emphasized the military’s readiness. “We stand ready to return to the fight immediately and will vigorously oppose those who would harm us.”
One source said that despite the heightened alarm, Israel was content to maintain the status quo. The United States remains on the sidelines as economic pressure on Iran continues to mount, as the United States and Iran continue to clash and are far from a nuclear deal.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who participated in the security talks, said on Tuesday that “Israel has no interest in participating in the campaign at this time.” Smotrich told the conference that limited confrontation between Iran and the United States is in Israel’s interest to increase pressure on the Iranian regime. Smotrich pointed to Iran’s soaring inflation and said, “The best way to bring down the regime is to destroy it economically.” “Therefore, the current situation is working in our favor and we have no interest in forcing ourselves into that situation.”
One of the sources said Israel assesses that the recent U.S. attack on bridges in Iran has dealt a serious blow to the country’s transportation and commercial networks. “Iran’s economy is collapsing, and this will ultimately weaken the regime further,” the official said. Rampant inflation and poverty sparked mass protests against the regime in January, and Israel views Iran’s economy as one of its biggest weaknesses.
A senior Israeli official told CNN that the possibility of escalating attacks in Hormuz and drawing Israel into new fighting has increased in recent days, but the situation remains fluid as Israel closely monitors regional mediation efforts to defuse the crisis. “The situation is dynamic,” the official said, noting that some figures close to President Trump have called for diplomacy to avoid broader escalation.
Another Israeli official said that if Israel were to eventually engage in combat, it would aim to strike high-value targets, particularly energy infrastructure and nuclear facilities, something Israel had wanted to do since the March election campaign but was blocked by President Trump.
“These are targets that could decide the decisive outcome of the war, but they also come with significant risks for the Gulf states and oil prices, a risk that Americans have been unwilling to take so far.”
Against this backdrop, Prime Minister Netanyahu has been trying to set up a direct meeting with President Trump for several weeks, but no date has been set, sources said. Although the two leaders speak regularly, they have not met in person since February, before the Iranian expedition. One source said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering traveling to the United States next week for Sen. Lindsey Graham’s funeral and is exploring the possibility of meeting with President Trump around that trip.
