Israel and U.S. ready for possible Iran strike, President Trump pauses amid diplomatic talks
Israel and U.S. forces prepared for a potential strike on Iran over the weekend, but President Donald Trump held off as mediators worked toward a diplomatic agreement.
Israel’s security establishment was on alert for a possible U.S. strike against Iran over the weekend, according to two sources familiar with the preparations. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with senior Israeli security officials on Friday to discuss contingency plans.
The U.S. military also readied forces for a renewed operation, while President Donald Trump told CNN the United States could destroy 38 Iranian bridges in an hour. He added that the likelihood of ordering a new war effort was "very low" if Tehran and Washington reached a strong agreement, saying, "> It depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement. The answer is highly unlikely [that] it’s going to be necessary… I would if necessary, but we hit them really hard."
Trump noted a preference against targeting infrastructure, predicting that rebuilding destroyed bridges could take up to a decade, and remarked, "> I don’t like ripping down bridges. And the hardest thing to build is a bridge. It takes years, and I’m a good builder."
Diplomatic sources said the president gave Vice President JD Vance and other senior officials a few days to secure a deal with Tehran. Meanwhile, U.S. forces continued to increase their presence in the region. The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and its strike group left Singapore and are en route to the U.S. Central Command area, while the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island departed Japan for the Middle East.