Report says Israel could attack Iran in coming days; sources unaware of plans for US to assist

US news outlet NBC reports that Israel is considering launching an attack on Iran in the coming days, even though the US is unlikely to support the move, as it is still in talks with Tehran regarding a new nuclear agreement.

The report comes after US network CBS similarly reported that US officials have been told Israel is “fully ready to launch an operation into Iran.”

Citing five unnamed sources familiar with the situation, NBC reports that Israel is weighing the option of striking the Islamic Republic’s nuclear infrastructure as it believes the US and Iran are close to reaching a framework agreement that doesn’t meet all of its demands regarding nuclear enrichment.

The sources familiar tell the news network that they are not aware of any plans in the US to aid Israel in its endeavour to strike Iran, directly or indirectly, in the form of aerial refueling or intelligence sharing.

But the sources say US officials are on alert.

Like the CBS report, it notes that the US fears Iran could retaliate against US personnel stationed in neighboring Iraq. These concerns prompted the State Department and Pentagon to authorize some US officials and their families to leave the region hours ago.

Security expert Michael Knights, of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, posits that the evacuation of staff is intended to let Iran know that it is not a sure thing that Washington will intervene and prevent Israel from launching an attack.

“It’s about trying to get Iran to respect the president’s wishes,” he says.