Netanyahu Denies Trump Blocked Iran Strike Plan

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, October 22, denied reports that U.S. President Donald Trump had blocked a plan for an Israeli strike on Iran. "This is incorrect information. I am not even going to go into the details of this biased material," Netanyahu stated, responding to a question on Arutz 7 radio about whether Trump had vetoed an attack plan. The Financial Times, citing three sources, had reported that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were preparing for confrontations with Iran in mid-October, targeting civilian infrastructure like power plants. The report claimed aircraft were scheduled to take off on October 10 for strikes more significant than those in Operation Lion's Roar. One source suggested a renewed conflict with Iran could occur in the coming weeks, stating, "There will be either an agreement or an attack." The FT suggested Trump blocked the plan to avoid escalating tensions before the U.S. midterm elections on November 3. Trump himself posted on Truth Social on October 8, "We are having productive conversations with the Islamic Republic. I want to clarify: although Iran is in an extremely difficult economic and military situation, and the blockade will be fully maintained, we will not strike Iran under any circumstances before the midterm elections." Earlier, on October 21, Netanyahu stated at an IDF officers' course graduation ceremony that "we are facing a threat to our existence" and that Iran was attempting to build nuclear bombs. He added, "There is only one way to eliminate this threat once and for all, to overthrow the regime in Iran. This is my directive to the IDF, Mossad, and security forces." He also claimed, "My friend President Trump also believes this is the only way. A few days ago, he said: 'We are ready to finish the job, but we will do it only with you, with the State of Israel.' This is how we will do it, cut off the head of the octopus and sever its tentacles by destroying Hamas and Hezbollah."

Separately, Axios reported on the evening of October 21, citing sources in Jerusalem and Washington, that Israel conducted a "show of force" on the Iranian border on October 19 involving dozens of IDF aircraft. On the same day, Netanyahu held talks with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The New York Times published a report on October 22, asserting that U.S. and Israeli forces had developed detailed plans for new strikes on Iran after the U.S. midterms. Sources told the NYT that a "short and intense" operation was planned, targeting nuclear and energy facilities, as well as missile and drone arsenals. Some sources considered a Trump-initiated operation before the end of October unlikely due to political reasons and military preparations, including the deployment of U.S. forces and the advantage of longer nights for potential attacks in November. Israeli elections scheduled for October 27 could also complicate plans, as an outgoing Netanyahu might find it harder to initiate military action.