Netanyahu to float Iran attack plan to Trump amid nuclear 'concerns'

Israeli officials will brief US President Donald Trump on "concerns" they have over a potentially renewed Iranian ballistic missile programme, US media reported on Saturday, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet with Trump in Florida later this month.

The Israeli officials are seeking to prepare attacks on Tehran should this be the case, US officials and a person familiar with the matter told the NBC network.

Israel and Iran were engaged in a 12-day-long war in June, with Tel Aviv striking Iranian nuclear facilities in a surprise attack on 13 June, and assassinating several military personnel and nuclear scientists. The US also struck Iran, claiming it had "obliterated" key nuclear sites, including Fordow and Natanz. Some assessments, however, concluded that the damage was exaggerated.

Over 1,000 people were killed in Iran by Israel in the strikes, including civilians. Tehran also retaliated with several missile and drone attacks.

Israel is also allegedly "concerned" that Iran is rebuilding the nuclear enrichment sites bombed by Washington.

"The nuclear weapons programme is very concerning. There’s an attempt to reconstitute. It’s not that immediate," one person with knowledge of the matter told NBC.

Trump and Netanyahu are due to meet in Miami, Florida, on 29 December at the President's Mar-a-Lago estate, where he is set to raise these concerns and make a case for swift action on Iran.

The Israeli premier will present a plan which would give the option for the US to join the potential action, the sources added.

The meeting, however, isn’t "formally set up," Trump told reporters on Thursday.

This comes as uncertainties hover over Iran’s nuclear deal talks with the US, which have stalled massively since Washington’s strikes in June. Tehran said it would consider a US proposal so long as it is "fair and balanced". Though Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in November that Trump’s administration was "not worthy" of any contact or cooperation with the Islamic Republic.

Trump hinted last week that he might be "open" to resuming dialogue with Iran on the matter, but threatened to "wipe out" Iranian missiles if they were to rebuild without a deal.

In July, weeks after the US’ Midnight Hammer Operation on Iran, Trump echoed these sentiments concerning the targeted nuclear sites if Tehran sought to pursue nuclear enrichment activities.

Israel’s 12-day war with Iran, involving the US, came amid the wider Middle East crisis, triggered by Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which has killed nearly 71,000 Palestinians since 7 October 2023, as well as the decades-long proxy war between the two foes.

A ceasefire brokered by Trump is currently being observed in the Palestinian enclave, though it has been violated hundreds of times by Israel, which has killed more than 380 Palestinians.

The US is seeking to move towards the ceasefire’s second phase, which will likely be discussed with Netanyahu.