Above photo: Tehran Times.
The US joined Israel to bomb Iran’s nuclear program during the 12-day-war in June.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will reportedly ask US President Donald Trump to greenlight a new assault on Iran to target its ballistic missile program, NBC News reported on 21 December.
Citing a person with direct knowledge of the Israeli plans and four former US officials, NBC reported that Netanyahu is expected to present options for a renewed attack in a meeting between the two leaders tentatively scheduled for 29 December at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Miami, Florida.
“Netanyahu is expected to make the case to Trump that Iran’s expansion of its ballistic missile program poses a threat that could necessitate swift action,” the sources told NBC.
“The Israeli leader is expected to present Trump with options for the US to join or assist in any new military operations,” the sources added.
The US joined Israel to attack Iran in June in an effort to destroy the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. But now, Iran’s ballistic missile program is Israel’s new focus.
“The nuclear weapons program is very concerning. There’s an attempt to reconstitute,” an Israeli source with knowledge of the plans said. However, “It’s not that immediate.”
The Israeli source claimed that Iran will be capable of producing up to 3,000 ballistic missiles per year if the reconstruction of its production facilities is not prevented.
During the June war, Iran responded to Israel’s unprovoked attack with barrages of powerful ballistic missiles that accurately hit their targets, resulting in major damage.
The Israeli official claimed to NBC that Israel “can do far more damage to Iran than Iran can do to Israel. But the threat of the missiles is very real, and we weren’t able to prevent them all last time.”
According to Haaretz, Iran carried out 42 missile barrages, firing roughly 530 ballistic missiles at Israel.
Iranian attacks required Israel and the US to use around 200 missile interceptors at a total cost of $1.5 billion.
The Telegraph reported in July that Iranian missiles directly hit five Israeli military bases during the 12-day war.
The UK paper noted that researchers at the University of Oregon concluded from satellite data that Iranian missiles struck two bases housing Israel’s elite 8200 intelligence unit.
The Israeli official briefed on the plans told NBC that “A large volume of ballistic missiles would help Iran better defend its nuclear enrichment sites,” underlying the importance for Iran to continue to produce them.
Israel claims Iran’s nuclear program is to build a nuclear weapon. The Islamic Republic has repeatedly clarified that its nuclear program is for producing energy and for medical and other research purposes.
Meanwhile, Israeli army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said on Sunday that Israel will strike “wherever required, on near and distant fronts alike,” indicating that a new war against Iran may be launched soon.
“At the center of the longest and most complex war in Israel’s history stands the campaign against Iran. Iran is the one that financed and armed the ring of strangulation around Israel and stood behind the plans for its destruction,” he stated while speaking at a handover ceremony for the head of the Army Planning Directorate.
