Israel's Potential Strike on Iranian Nuclear Facilities Amid Negotiations

Today (April 19), it was reported that despite earlier reports stating that the US President had informed the Israeli Prime Minister that the US was currently reluctant to support Israel's attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, Israel has not ruled out the possibility of launching an attack in the coming months.

According to the report, Israel believes that its military "can launch a limited strike that requires less US support", and the scale of the attack will be much smaller than the initial proposal. However, it is still unclear whether and when Israel will carry out such a strike, especially when the US and Iran are negotiating over the Iranian nuclear issue.

According to sources, for months, Israel has presented a series of plans to attack Iran to the US government. Some of these plans set the time for the attack in late spring or summer this year, including air strikes of different intensities and commando operations, which are said to "delay Iran's nuclear - weaponization ability by several months or more than a year".

Two former senior officials of a previous US administration revealed that some of Israel's plans were also submitted to the previous US administration last year, almost all of which required significant support from the US through direct military intervention or intelligence sharing. Israel also asked the US to assist in its self - defense in case of Iranian retaliation. It was reported that the Israeli Prime Minister had hoped that the US would lead the air strikes on Iran, but the US administration said that "strikes are not considered a wise move unless Iran accelerates uranium enrichment or expels inspectors". It was also reported that the US team "questioned the effectiveness of the Israeli military's such operations".

In response to this report, the US National Security Council said that "reference should be made to the US President's statement on April 17". The US President said that day that he did not stop Israel from launching an attack, but "was not in a hurry to support military action against Iran".

The US President said: "I think Iran has the opportunity to become a great country where people can live happily and away from death. This is my preferred option. If there is a second option, I think it will be very bad for Iran, and I think Iran also wants to negotiate."

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A senior Israeli official said that no decision has been made on striking Iran.

A senior official of the Iranian security department said that Iran is aware that Israel is planning a major attack on its nuclear facilities. The official also said that Israel's attack will招致 a "severe and firm response" from Iran.

Relevant experts believe that Israel needs a large amount of support from the US military to destroy Iran's deeply - buried nuclear facilities and related reserves. Although the "limited strike" currently being considered by Israel requires less direct support from the US military, Israel still needs the US to promise to assist in defense in case of Iranian retaliation.

According to the plan, on April 19, Iran and the US will start the second round of negotiations in Rome under the mediation of Oman. The Iranian Foreign Minister said on April 16 that Iran will figure out the US's "true intentions" in the negotiations and hopes that Iran and the US will start negotiations from the possible framework of an agreement. The Foreign Minister emphasized that Iran's uranium - enrichment issue is "non - negotiable".