Israel had 'green light' from US before attacking Iran: Report

ANKARA

The US was aware of Israel’s sweeping strike on Iranian nuclear and military targets days before the operation began, despite public denials from the White House, press reports said on Friday.

Trump administration officials were briefed ahead of the operation and did not oppose it in private, despite making public statements distancing themselves from the attack, American news website Axios reported, citing Israeli forces.

“We had a clear US green light,” Axios quoted one Israeli official as saying.

President Donald Trump, speaking just hours before the strikes, stated that the US would not participate militarily but later acknowledged he had prior knowledge.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that Israel acted “unilaterally.”

Israeli forces attacked Iran in the early hours of Friday, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presenting it as an attempt to "eliminate" Tehran's nuclear and missile capabilities, causing a dramatic increase in regional tensions.

“This is not an operation of hours or days,” Netanyahu said. “It will continue until our goals are achieved.”

According to a report by Axios, Israeli intelligence operatives had worked on the strike plan for eight months.

The operation includes aerial bombings, targeted assassinations, and covert sabotage missions by Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency on the ground in Iran.

Israeli officials told the media outlet the plan was set in motion following a retaliatory Iranian strike on Israel last October.

The Israeli response was motivated by intelligence suggesting that Iran was accelerating its nuclear weaponization capabilities and preparing a fortified underground enrichment facility deemed immune to even advanced bunker busters.

In the opening hours alone, the Israeli military confirmed the deaths of two nuclear scientists and at least three top military leaders, including the Revolutionary Guard commander and Iran’s military chief of staff.

Iran has vowed to retaliate, with threats to target both Israeli sites and US military bases in the region.

“We will respond at the right time, in the right place,” a senior Iranian official said Friday.

The international community has expressed concern over the risk of full-scale conflict. Meanwhile, European powers are pressing forward with emergency meetings on the nuclear deal.

The situation remains volatile as analysts warn that further escalations could ignite a broader war in the Middle East.