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Saturday, June 21, 2025
Israel pressing for swift action on Fordo nuclear site, may act without US — sources
Israeli officials have told the Trump administration they do not want to wait two weeks for Iran to reach a deal to dismantle key parts of its nuclear program and Israel could act alone before the deadline is up, two sources say, amid a continuing debate on Trump’s team about whether the US should get involved.
The two sources familiar with the matter say Israel has communicated its concerns to Trump administration officials on Thursday in what they described as a tense phone call.
The Israeli officials say they do not want to wait the two weeks that US President Donald Trump presented on Thursday as a deadline for deciding whether the US will get involved in the Israel-Iran war, say the sources, who speak on condition of anonymity. The Israeli participants on the call included Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and military chief Eyal Zamir, according to a security source.
The Israelis believe they have a limited window of opportunity to move against the deeply buried site at Fordo, the crown jewel of Iran’s nuclear program, say the sources. The United States is the only country with the bunker-busting bombs powerful enough to reach the facility, which is dug into the side of a mountain.
A person in Washington familiar with the matter says Israel has communicated to the US administration that it believes Trump’s window of up to two weeks is too long and that more urgent action is needed. The person doesn’t say whether the Israelis made that point during the high-level call.
During the call, Vice President JD Vance pushed back, saying the United States shouldn’t be directly involved and suggesting that the Israelis were going to drag the country into war, say the sources. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also participated in the call, says a security source. Reuters couldn’t determine who else took part in the call, which came a day before Trump publicly suggested Israel lacks the means to destroy Fordo alone.
Publicly, Netanyahu has not ruled out Israel attacking Fordo alone, though officials have not provided any details on how that would be achieved.
Four sources say it is now increasingly likely that Israel will launch a solo military operation. Israeli air superiority over much of Iran makes an operation more feasible, though still risky, say two of the sources.
The Israelis feel they have the momentum and have limited time given the costs of the war, one source adds.
“I don’t see them waiting much longer,” says the source.
It isn’t clear whether such an operation would involve bombing, ground forces, or both. Two of the sources say that rather than attempting to destroy the entire site, Israel could instead do significant damage to it.
That could mean focusing on destroying what is inside the site rather than the site itself, says one of the sources, declining to elaborate.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.