Dear Commons Community,
Axios reported yesterday that several Israeli officials claimed they “had a clear U.S. green light” to attack Iran, despite Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s quick statement distancing the U.S. from the attack.
Axios’s Barak Ravid and Dave Lawler reported on the 8-month-long planning that went into the wide-ranging attack on Iranian nuclear sites, as well as military commanders.
“Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” declared Rubio in a statement soon after the strikes began.
“Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense. President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel,” Rubio added.
Axiso reported, however, that “Trump and his aides were only pretending to oppose an Israeli attack in public — and didn’t express opposition in private,” citing the Israeli sources, who remained anonymous.
Trump himself changed tune a bit on Friday, following the apparent success of the Israeli strikes.
“Certain Iranian hardliner’s spoke bravely, but they didn’t know what was about to happen,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, adding, “They are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse!”
The Axios report added that Trump’s statements calling for diplomacy ahead of the strikes were all part of the plan. “The goal, they say, was to convince Iran that no attack was imminent and make sure Iranians on Israel’s target list wouldn’t move to new locations,” reported Axios of the Israeli claims, adding:
Netanyahu’s aides even briefed Israeli reporters that Trump had tried to put the brakes on an Israeli strike in a call on Monday, when in reality the call dealt with coordination ahead of the attack, Israeli officials now say.
The report notes, of course, that the “U.S. side has not confirmed any of that. In the hours before and after the strike, the Trump administration distanced itself from the Israeli operation in public statements and private messages to allies.”
Read the full report here.
Tony
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