Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will present plans for a possible fresh attack on Iran to US President Donald Trump during his upcoming visit to Washington, NBC News reported Saturday, citing several unnamed officials. According to the report, Israel is growing increasingly concerned that Iran is rebuilding and even expanding its ballistic missile production in the wake of the nations’ 12-day war in June. Israel is also worried that Iran is rebuilding its nuclear enrichment program, which was heavily damaged by Israeli and American strikes, the report added.
Netanyahu and Trump are expected to meet at the US president’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida at the end of the month. While Israel has publicly called Iran’s nuclear program an existential threat, officials quoted in the report said that the ballistic missiles were seen by Jerusalem as a more pressing concern.
“The nuclear weapons program is very concerning. There’s an attempt to reconstitute. [But] it’s not that immediate,” a source with knowledge of Israel’s plans told NBC News. “The threat of the missiles is very real, and we weren’t able to prevent them all last time,” another source said. A source with knowledge on the matter, as well as former US officials, told NBC that Jerusalem believes Iran’s renewed production of ballistic missiles could increase to 3,000 per month if left unchecked. (Read More)