Israel said readying to quickly strike Iranian nuclear sites if US-Iran talks collapse

Israel is getting ready to quickly strike Iran if ongoing talks between the United States and the Islamic Republic over the latter’s nuclear program break down, Axios reports, citing a pair of Israeli sources.

“Bibi is waiting for the nuclear talks to collapse and for the moment Trump will be disappointed about the negotiations and open to giving him the go ahead,” says one of the sources, using Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s nickname.

According to the sources, the Israeli intelligence community now thinks talks could soon collapse, after previously believing an agreement was close. One of the sources says the military believes the window to attack Iran may soon slam shut, requiring Israel to move fast if the negotiations do not pan out, without saying why the IDF thinks that.

The news site also says that both sources confirmed a CNN report that Israel is preparing for potential strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, while adding any attack would require a week-long campaign and not be a one-off.

“There was a lot of training and the US military sees everything and understands Israel is preparing,” one of the sources is quoted as saying.