Report: Biden administration losing trust in what it’s hearing from Israel

US officials tell Axios that the Biden administration is increasingly distrustful of what Israel is saying about its military and diplomatic plans.

“Our trust of the Israelis is very low right now and for a good reason,” says one of the four US officials who spoke with the outlet.

Two of the officials tell the outlet that White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer on Friday that that the US expects “clarity and transparency” from Israel over its plans for a potential attack on Iran after Tehran fired some 200 ballistic missiles at Israel last week.

The officials note that any Israel strike would have an impact on US forces in the region.

An official says that Sullivan’s message was a signal that if the US is not given a heads-up as to Israel’s plans, it won’t necessarily join a coalition to defend Israel against a potential future attack from Iran. However, the officials admitted to Axios that it was likely that this was an empty warning and the US would in fact step up.

The report says the US is also concerned about the most recent operation launched by the IDF in north Gaza, despite the fact that Israel has told Washington that the evacuation orders for civilians there will not lead to a permanent displacement of the population.

“They tell us what we want to hear — the problem is lack of trust,” a US official says.