The US asked Israel to carry out a strike against Iran before the American midterms, journalist Ben Caspit reported Saturday.
In a post on social media, Caspit revealed, "In talks between Israel and the United States regarding Iran over the past two weeks, I have learned that the Americans actually demanded that Israel carry out a strike against Iran. They were not referring to an American strike, nor to a joint operation, but specifically to an Israeli strike."
"IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir made it clear to the Americans (according to a report by Barak Ravid) that such a strike would most likely lead to the postponement of the elections in Israel.
"As of now, the Americans have backed down from this demand," he added.
Caspit explained, "The American demand came in response to developments in Iran, some of which were reported today in the foreign media, concerning Iran's rapid restoration of its drone and ballistic missile production capabilities."
"However, the Americans wanted Israel, rather than Trump, to bear the political risk ahead of the midterm elections. They believed that Israel would actually want to launch a strike before its own elections, whereas in the United States, a pre-election strike could politically harm the president. Until now, reports have focused on Trump 'considering' resuming strikes against Iran. There have also been fresh reports on the matter.
"However, it is now clear that, at least according to the original plan, Trump essentially instructed Israel to strike Iran before the elections. For now, that initiative has been halted."
Caspit also admitted that, "Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu's position is not entirely clear to me. Over the past week, his schedule has been described as 'highly security-focused,' and he has held several 'sensitive' discussions and visits."