Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a cabinet meeting for the second time in four days, amidst leaked reports on Israeli security services calling for intensifying coordination with its US counterpart following news claiming Iran would counter Washington's pressure.
The regime in Tehran is greatly disappointed after it has failed to force the US to reconsider the severe sanctions imposed on Iran and companies dealing with it, reported sources close to the intelligence in Tel Aviv.
Following that, Israeli intelligence does not rule out the possibility that Iranians will try to provoke Israel in order to escalate the situation in the regional crisis and oblige Trump administration to reexamine its steps.
In other news, media sources said that Netanyahu's call for a second cabinet meeting within a week is strange and unusual, especially as the PM usually refrains from calling for government meetings during the period leading to elections.
The sources stressed that the cabinet mainly discussed possible developments that could result from the US-Iranian tensions in the Gulf.
Both Israeli and Western intelligence asses that Iran may soon escalate its confrontation with the United States and work on getting Israel involved.
Military expert Amos Harel quoted officials close to the Cabinet that “according to assessments in Israel and the West, the Iranians were playing for time and hoping that US President Donald Trump would eventually fail to win reelection in November 2020.”
Consequently, the idea was that this would lead to a softening of Washington’s aggressive policy toward Iran’s nuclear program.
After several strikes on oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and drone strikes against Saudi oil sites, Iran may have changed the trend and is stepping up its actions in the hope that Washington will return to the negotiating table.
Because the crisis is moving slowly, Iran might decide to worsen it; for example, by dragging Israel into the heart of the developments.
The sources indicate that the prime minister is reducing his statements in the Iranian issue after the situation began to escalate.
The PM, who used to brag about persuading Trump to withdraw from the nuclear deal, now resorts to simple statements that are nothing close to war threats.
Israeli intelligence estimate there’s a prospect of an indirect scenario involving an Iran-led group such as the Shiite militias in southern Syria, or perhaps an operation by Hezbollah or others in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli army is holding two military wide-ranged maneuvers this week with the participation of ground troops, fighter jets, helicopters and a variety of military vehicles.
The drill involves fighter jets, helicopters, cargo planes, drones, air defense units, and ground support forces. It includes scenarios involving an enemy armed with advanced technology, such as the Russian S-300 and S-400 missile defense systems.
Netanyahu warned the country’s enemies to “not test” Israel amid concerns that escalating tensions between the United States and Iran could result in an attack.
The prime minister made his remarks during a visit to a large-scale Israeli exercise in northern Israel.
“I hear our neighbors to the north, south, and east threatening to destroy us. I say to our enemies: Do not test us.”
