Recently, U.S. President Trump posted on social media, stating that he has agreed to cancel the attack against Iran.
According to reports cited by Israel's Channel 12 television on August 2, this surprised Israel. Senior officials, including Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz, did not learn of the U.S. cancellation of the strike until Trump announced it on social media.
According to reports, a few hours before Trump’s announcement, Israel tried to obtain information about his plans through the United States Central Command. However, sources from Israel’s defense agencies revealed that even there, they did not receive any updated information indicating that Trump would cancel the attack.
Israeli defense department senior officials said that that period was filled with extreme uncertainty. "President Trump has left us in a state of confusion," said senior officers. They learned about the latest developments through Trump's personal social media posts and felt that "the US has left us behind."
At the political level, the past 24 hours were also defined as “walking in the dark.” Sources said that even at the highest political level, no advance information about Trump’s updated decision was received. After Trump posted his statement, Israel tried to determine whether this was a deception or a real change. It was only about an hour later that they received clear information, allowing them to reduce their level of vigilance.
Several senior Israeli officials said that if the level of alert is reduced, it will take a lot of time to re-establish the tactical deployment. "We have concentrated all our military resources on a single battlefield, only to find that maintaining a high level of alert for a long time was completely wasted. This is very frustrating. We do not understand what the ultimate goal of the US President is."
According to reports, although this attack was canceled, the Israel Defense Forces remains on high alert. The Israelis estimate that Trump may change his mind again in the near future.
Israeli senior officials believe that military options are still under consideration.
Previously, it was reported that the United States and Israel were considering launching another major attack on Iran, with potential targets including power plants, refineries, and other energy infrastructure facilities. Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman spoke with Trump on August 1, urging the US not to escalate military actions against Iran further.
In response, Iran warned that if the United States launched another attack, Iran would retaliate against Israeli and Gulf countries' energy facilities. As tensions escalate, embassies of the United States in Iraq, Jordan, and the UAE have warned local Americans to remain vigilant and to prepare for flight cancellations or further deterioration of the situation.
On August 1st, Trump posted an article stating that the United States was “with bullets loaded and ready to act” at any time, and its military deterrence, strength, and power reached a level “never seen since World War II”.
However, Trump stated that Iran and other Middle Eastern countries have just requested the United States to delay launching attacks, on the grounds that all parties have reached an agreement regarding the framework of a deal. This framework will include “immediately, completely, and fully opening the Strait of Hormuz,” as well as ending Iran’s nuclear threat.
Trump said that based on this request, and for the sake of "the well-being of the world in the future" as well as the continued survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, he has agreed to cancel the attack, provided that all parties can reach an agreement quickly. He also stated that Israel has joined this commitment, and urged all parties to immediately begin completing the agreement. Trump did not disclose the specific details of the agreement or the negotiation timeline in his post.
