Even if Netanyahu loses Tuesday’s election, he could potentially decide to authorize another strike against Iran before leaving office.
By United with Israel Staff
The U.S. military has prepared options for renewed strikes against Iran following next month’s midterm elections, as American officials warn that Tehran may already be in the “advanced stages” of planning attacks against U.S. officials.
U.S. Central Command has plans ready for follow-up strikes against Iran should President Donald Trump authorize military action, sources familiar with the planning told The Hill.
CENTCOM has developed several potential strike options that can be presented to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to the report.
The preparations come as fears grow in Washington and Tehran that the conflict could soon erupt into another major round of fighting.
The New York Times reported that Trump administration officials are increasingly concerned that Iran is in the “advanced stages” of preparing attacks against American officials.
Iranian leaders, meanwhile, reportedly believe the United States and Israel are preparing another major attack aimed at forcing Tehran to accept Washington’s demands.
According to the Times, diplomats and outside experts warned that the current conditions are precisely the kind that can cause countries to stumble into a full-scale war.
A senior European official told the newspaper that if U.S. intelligence regarding Iranian plans to target Americans is accurate, even a single apparent attack against an American official could ignite a much larger conflict.
The escalating tensions come at a particularly sensitive political moment in both Israel and the United States.
Israelis will vote Tuesday in an election that could determine whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains in power, while Americans head to the polls for the midterm elections the following week.
The Times noted that those political calendars could factor into calculations in Jerusalem and Washington.
Even if Netanyahu loses Tuesday’s election, the newspaper reported, he could potentially decide to authorize another strike against Iran before leaving office, particularly if he believes a successor would hesitate to take such action.
Trump faces his own political calculations, with the war remaining unpopular among portions of his political base as he weighs whether to authorize another round of U.S. military action against Iran.
The latest reports add to mounting indications that Washington is actively preparing for the possibility of another confrontation rather than merely issuing threats.
With CENTCOM reportedly maintaining multiple strike options and U.S. officials simultaneously warning of Iranian plans to attack Americans, both sides increasingly appear to be preparing for the possibility that the next incident could trigger another major round of war.
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