Israeli Air Force Chief Says Major Iran Strike Was Canceled at the Last Minute After Trump Intervention

Israeli Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Omer Tishler disclosed on Tuesday that a large-scale Israeli air strike deep inside Iran had been fully ready for immediate execution, but was canceled at the last moment after intervention by U.S. President Donald Trump. In a letter to Air Force personnel, Tishler said the operation had been planned and finalized last week, and that the force was prepared to launch a broad strike package.

Tishler wrote that “the entire Air Force was ready to take off for a wide strike wave,” adding that “hours” before the launch order, “hundreds of targets deep inside Iran” were on the list. He said the attack was halted while crews were still briefing in the squadrons, only an hour before departure. According to the report, Trump demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancel the planned strike.

The article says the intervention came amid ongoing U.S.-Iran negotiations, with Washington seeking to prevent further regional escalation. Tishler used the same letter to describe Israeli Air Force achievements against Iran, saying the force had hit “the Iranian leadership, defense and attack systems, nuclear components, the economy, the chain of command and knowledge, and the military and national industry” hard.

He said those operations significantly reduced the threat, extended the time needed for Iran to recover, and preserved Israel’s ability to operate again in Iran if needed. Tishler added that the security establishment is closely watching diplomatic shifts internationally, but said it is still too early to know how global developments will affect the security situation.