As Trump weighs Iran diplomacy, Israel uneasy but could accept deal
Despite the United States deploying significant naval forces to the region, Israel regrets a strike against Iran was not carried out two weeks ago.
TEL AVIV — The uncertainty over a US strike on Iran has prompted regret in some quarters in Israel over the decision to urge US President Donald Trump to postpone an imminent attack two weeks ago. The famous one-liner, “When you have to shoot, shoot — don't talk,” is often echoed in ongoing Israeli assessments of the situation.
Nonetheless, while Israel regrets that the strike did not happen, it understands the decision. The planned timing — on the night of Jan. 14 — appears to have been ill-advised both operationally and defensively.
"The Americans had not yet amassed sufficient forces here, they did not have a coherent plan and a well-defined goal,” a senior Israeli diplomatic source conceded in a conversation with Al-Monitor, speaking on condition of anonymity. “But an attack at that stage might have encouraged the demonstrators and intensified the anti-government protests, which were suppressed with unprecedented cruelty."
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