Israel steps up military planning against Iran’s nuclear program

TEL AVIV — Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant agreed on Wednesday night on a multiyear defense budget, a large portion of which will be dedicated to preparations for a potential strike against Iran’s nuclear program.

Indeed, reports confirm that Israel is stepping up its preparations to attack Iran's military nuclear infrastructure. Since Netanyahu returned to power in late December, this possibility is being discussed on a practical level, reflecting the coveted goal of his career. As things look now, the question is not really whether Israel will attack Iran, but when it will do so and whether it will go it alone or with US logistical, political and perhaps even “kinetic” backing.

Israel’s top security brass took part this week in the Defense Ministry’s 2023 annual work plan conference, among them Gallant, Ministry Director General Maj. Gen. (Res.) Eyal Zamir and the head of the Ministry’s Political-Security Division, Brig. Gen. (Res.) Dror Shalom. Addressing the participants, all three agreed that a real war was being waged between Israel and Iran. Shalom, the most outspoken of the three, said Israel must shift gears and realize that it is already engaged in a war of varying intensity with Iran.

Gallant said that recent reports about Iran's 84% uranium enrichment level, within touching distance of military-grade level, is of great concern to Israel. He said that it was not clear at the moment whether Iran reached this level unintentionally as part of its accelerated research and development program, whether it was a local initiative by zealous scientists or based on the orders of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Either way, according to Shalom, the achievement suggests that Iran is capable of reaching a military nuclear breakout in a matter of weeks.