Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to relay messages to Iran denying that Israel plans to attack it, Israeli media reported.
Public broadcaster KAN, citing unnamed diplomatic sources, said Netanyahu asked Putin to convey messages of "reassurance" to Iranian officials that Israel was not planning a military strike.
According to the report, the messages were delivered to Iran in recent weeks, including through phone calls between Netanyahu and Putin.
The outreach came amid concerns in Israel that Tehran could launch a preemptive attack to avert what it might perceive as an imminent Israeli strike.
KAN said Putin indicated last October that he had been asked to pass along a message to Iran stating that Israel was "not interested in escalation."
Despite the reported reassurances, Netanyahu told Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, on Monday that Israel had also sent a clear warning to Tehran.
He said Israel conveyed that if it were attacked, Iran would face "very severe consequences."
KAN reported that Israeli officials feared a miscalculation by Iran could trigger an attack driven by concerns about Israel’s intentions.
Speculation has increased in Israeli media about the possibility of an Israeli strike on Iran, amid reports describing Tehran’s rebuilding of its ballistic missile programme.
Israel launched a 12-day war against Iran in June, with Tehran responding with drone and missile attacks.
During the conflict, the United States bombed three major Iranian nuclear facilities — Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan — before Washington brokered a ceasefire between the two adversaries.
