Natanz facility in Iran
Natanz facility in IranReuters

Israel consulted with the US administration before launching two significant attacks on Iran, The New York Times reported.

The attacks were carried out in June and September: The June attack was on a factory building centrifuges, and the September attack was on a missiles base.

Israel, meanwhile, is concerned that the US has a secret communications channel with Iran.

According to the Times, two senior Israeli officials left Washington this week concerned that the US will agree to a flawed nuclear deal, allowing Iran to freely continue its nuclear enrichment program.

At the same time, the US government this week said that US President Joe Biden two months ago asked national security adviser Jake Sullivan to review the revised Pentagon plan for military action against Iran. The Times added that administration officials also outlined new efforts to tighten sanctions on Iran.

The Times article, based on discussions with over a dozen officials in the US and Israel, who spoke on condition of anonymity, noted that last week's call between Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett "left officials in both countries frustrated."

It added that according to US officials, Israel's concerns are unfounded since a partial deal is "not actively being considered, at least for now, because of Iran’s unwillingness to engage."

Israeli officials, the Times emphasized, are not satisfied, and instead worry that the US and Iran will reach a deal - and then seek to block Israeli intelligence services from carrying out attacks. The Israelis now want a guarantee from Washington that there will be no restraints on their actions, even if a deal is reached between Iran and the US.