Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered Home Front Command to prepare for war with Iran, declaring a state of “maximum alert," Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper has reported.
CNN Arabic on Wednesday also reported, citing two unnamed Israeli sources, that Israel put its forces on heightened alert and stepped up military preparations as “indications grow” that a coordinated strike with the US on Iran may be imminent.
Tel Aviv has grown increasingly doubtful of the US-Iran negotiation process over recent weeks and is pushing ahead with both offensive and defensive planning, one of the sources, a military official, said.
Netanyahu has convened multiple closed-door security sessions this week to evaluate the country's preparedness and coordination with its allies, the sources said.
Should US President Donald Trump give the green light, any strike is expected to dwarf last June's attacks during the 12-day war and involve a coordinated offensive by both Washington and Tel Aviv, according to one source.
Axios, citing sources familiar with the matter, reported earlier that a potential US-Israeli military assault against Iran could be a massive, weeks-long offensive.
As Israel is preparing for immediate action, American sources told Axios the US military may need more preparation.
The reports come as Washington has deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group to the region, with the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier also on its way, alongside additional fighter jets.
US Vice President JD Vance described Tuesday's Geneva talks as productive "in some ways", but said Iran was "not yet willing" to engage on Trump's "red lines".
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, however, called the atmosphere "more constructive".
Netanyahu travelled to Washington earlier this month for talks with Trump, in a trip seen as an attempt by Tel Aviv to “shape” the nuclear talks between the US and Iran.
Iran has urged the US to stay wary of the negotiation spoiler, Israel.
