TEL AVIV — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might now regret missing the opportunity to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities in the final months of 2024, according to senior sources in his circle.
Former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman told Al-Monitor on May 22 that Israel should have taken advantage of the damage it inflicted last year on Iran’s missile capacity and anti-missile defenses to launch an attack during the transition period between the Joe Biden and Donald Trump administrations, between November 2024 and January 2025.
Netanyahu, however, was hesitant. Al-Monitor has learned that during the transition period, aides to Trump urged Netanyahu on several occasions to step back and reportedly promised Israel all the help it needed to mount the operation, and possibly even US participation, when the time was right. Netanyahu, as well as many former defense officials, considered US offensive and defensive support crucial to the success of such a mission, aimed at setting back Iran’s chances of producing a nuclear weapon.
Difficult conversation
AL-MONITOR All-Access gives you unlimited access to all our journalism, the full Daily Briefing, exclusive interviews, premium newsletters, and live events — for less than $2/week.