The Biden administration fears that Israel will attack Iranian nuclear sites without first consulting Washington, media said on Sunday.
Ynet news site military analyst Ron Ben-Yishai revealed that these concerns prompted the United States to send to Israel, within just a few days, the two most senior figures in the Pentagon: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley and Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin. The two officials come for clarification and coordination talks with Israeli defense and political leaders.
Milley, landed in Israel on Friday and met with Israel's Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, while Secretary to Defense, Lloyd Austin, is due to arrive in Israel on Thursday this week. The White House and the Pentagon allegedly fear that the current Israeli government will surprise the United States by striking Iran and dragging Washington into a military conflict in the Middle East, even as the United States and its allies invest most of their resources in the war in Ukraine and the intensifying conflict with China.
The visits by U.S. officials and their fears of an escalation are linked to the discovery by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of 84 percent enriched uranium in Iran's Fordo underground plant. While, until now, Jerusalem and Washington estimated that Israel had more than a year to complete preparations for a major attack in Iran and a war in other areas that would develop in its wake, Israel now considers that its window of opportunity is reduced. The American administration, however, demands that Israel doesn't act without coordinating with them first, because, according to the report, Washington would be involved in the resulting war.
Related Story: Netanyahu Met with Top Military Officials in Preparation for Possible Attack on Iran’s Nuclear Program: Report
