The United States reportedly urged Israel to launch a unilateral strike on Iran during discussions over the past two weeks, before backing away from the proposal after being warned that military action could force Israel to postpone its elections, according to Israeli media reports.
Maariv journalist Ben Caspit reported that the request called for Israel to carry out the operation without American forces participating in the attack or joining a joint military campaign. Washington subsequently withdrew the demand after Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir warned US officials that an attack would likely disrupt the country's election schedule.
Caspit cited reporting by journalist Barak Ravid on Zamir's warning. The report did not specify when the request was made or when Washington decided to withdraw it.
According to Caspit, Washington's approach was partly shaped by concerns about the domestic political consequences of renewed military action ahead of the US midterm elections.
US officials reportedly believed a fresh strike on Iran could hurt President Donald Trump politically while potentially benefiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Israel's elections. Under that calculation, Israel would take responsibility for the military operation and its political fallout, rather than the US becoming directly involved.
However, Zamir's warning appears to have complicated that assessment by raising the possibility that military action could also delay Israel's electoral process.
Caspit said Netanyahu's position on the reported proposal remained unclear. The Israeli prime minister had held several sensitive discussions and made visits over the preceding week, with his schedule largely focused on security matters.
The reported US request comes amid concerns that Iran has retained the ability to manufacture drones and ballistic missiles despite months of American and Israeli bombardment.
A Bloomberg report published on Saturday said Iran had preserved missile and drone production facilities, citing people familiar with the matter. The surviving infrastructure could allow Tehran to replenish its weapons stockpiles and rebuild its military capabilities.
Western officials cited by Bloomberg said Iran continued to possess substantial inventories of ballistic missiles and anti-ship weapons and could expand those stockpiles quickly. The report also said Russia was supplying missiles to Iran, in line with intelligence assessments from June.
The assessment contrasts with repeated claims by Trump and his administration that US and Israeli strikes had severely weakened Iran's ability to threaten American bases and regional partners.
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Trump said earlier this year that Iran's military had been completely destroyed, while US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington had eliminated the country's military-industrial capacity.
The reported survival of Iranian weapons production facilities raises questions about the extent of the damage inflicted by the strikes and Tehran's ability to rebuild its arsenal.
According to Caspit, Washington had recently sought to have Israel undertake further military action independently. The reported withdrawal of that request suggests that electoral considerations, alongside concerns about Iran's recovering weapons capabilities, remain part of the strategic calculations surrounding any potential new strike.
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