Two US officials and one Israeli official rejected a report by the newspaper Maariv saying the US had asked Israel to strike the Islamic Republic alone before the elections. According to the Jerusalem Post, the three officials told Barak Ravid, Washington correspondent for Israel's Channel 12, that the US had made no such request to Israel for a pre-election strike. The officials were not named.
Maariv reported on Saturday, 10 October 2026, in a piece by Ben Caspit, that in talks over the past two weeks the US had asked Israel to carry out a new attack not as a joint operation but alone, so that its political cost would not fall on Donald Trump before the midterm elections. According to the paper, opposition from Eyal Zamir, chief of staff of the Israeli military, led to the plan being shelved for now. Both Maariv's report and the denial rely on anonymous sources, and neither side has published any document.
Maariv's report and Eyal Zamir's warning
According to Iran International, citing Caspit, the request came after intelligence indicated that the Islamic Republic was rapidly rebuilding its capacity to produce drones and ballistic missiles. Benjamin Netanyahu's position on the matter is unclear.
According to Israel's Channel 12, as reflected by the Times of Israel, Zamir had warned his American counterparts that an attack on Iran could lead to a postponement of Israel's general election, which is scheduled for 27 October. The same reports say senior American commanders told Zamir that the White House and the Pentagon have ordered preparations for a possible resumption of large-scale US operations against the Islamic Republic within three weeks. The new denial concerns the request for a unilateral Israeli strike, not this US military readiness.
Trump's pledge and the Islamic Republic's military rebuilding
On Thursday, Trump said the US will not strike Iran before the 3 November midterm elections and that the naval blockade continues, but the next day, asked about it, he said we will have to see. Meanwhile, Bloomberg, citing Western officials, reported that the Islamic Republic has kept its capacity to build missiles and drones despite months of attacks; the White House has rejected that assessment.
The reports come as, after the pause in US attacks, hardline figures of the Islamic Republic have called for a pre-emptive strike and the government has stepped up its attacks on commercial ships around the Strait of Hormuz.
Two US officials and one Israeli official said the US did not ask Israel to strike the Islamic Republic before the elections.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first.