US Military Prepared for Major Iran Attack Within 96 Hours

The U.S. military is prepared to launch a significant attack on Iran within 96 hours of receiving orders from President Donald Trump, CNN reported Monday, citing American security officials. The planned operation is described as exceeding tactical "mow the lawn" strikes aimed at maintaining the status quo, and includes a broad range of targets developed by U.S. Central Command and the Pentagon. These targets encompass Iranian energy facilities, military bases, and nuclear sites. Officials familiar with the plans believe the question is not "if" but "when" the go-ahead will be given, with an assessment that Trump is leaning towards approving the action by the end of the year, likely after the upcoming U.S. midterm elections in early November.

In parallel, due to concerns about an immediate Iranian response against U.S. interests in the region, the United States has begun secretly evacuating non-essential personnel from its embassies in the area. The report also indicated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had pushed for a joint attack on Iran before Israel's elections, but Trump refused to give the green light. An Israeli security source told CNN that one reason for the refusal was the stance of Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, who informed his American counterpart that an attack at that time would harm the elections and lead to their postponement. Following a request from the U.S. administration, Israel reportedly agreed to wait for a joint, synchronized operation, expected after the U.S. midterms. This is intended to ensure robust American defensive backing and sufficient interceptors against a retaliatory strike from Tehran and its proxies.

Over the weekend, reports surfaced of unprecedented tension between Netanyahu and Chief of Staff Zamir over the Prime Minister's desire to strike Iran before Tuesday's elections. Both the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister denied these reports. Last week, Kan News reported that senior defense officials had explicitly expressed reservations in discussions about the possibility of an attack on Iran, arguing that such an action would constitute interference in the elections and could disrupt them. The Prime Minister and the Chief of Staff also clashed over the possibility of a confrontation with Iran, with sources close to Netanyahu believing the Iranian regime will not fall through a military operation.