In Israel, there is a growing belief that US President Donald Trump will decide whether to renew the war on Iran after returning from his visit to China at the end of the week.
According to Israeli sources, Trump is facing two main options: resuming military action, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants, or renewing the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz under the US operation known as “Project Freedom”.
However, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported that Trump could also decide at the end of his “historic” visit to China not to take any decision.
Israeli sources told Haaretz that although there is currently no unusual state of alert, the possibility of renewed fighting in the coming days remains.
Netanyahu has held several discussions on the issue.
Meanwhile, Israeli and US sources said talks took place over the past week between senior Israeli military officials and senior officials from the US Central Command. However, Trump has not yet made a final decision on whether to resume the war.
During the talks, the possibility was raised that Trump could order targeted strikes on Iran, particularly against fuel and energy facilities, with the aim of pressuring Tehran to return to negotiations in exchange for abandoning its nuclear weapons programme.
Israel has reportedly made preparations for such a scenario, particularly in anticipation of a possible Iranian response and continued missile launches towards Israel.
