Although the date for the Israeli-American strike on Iran had been set well in advance, most members of the Security Cabinet received final confirmation only on Friday morning, according to two Israeli sources.
The ministers were briefed on the details of the operation. Later that night, via the secure “red phone” line, the cabinet formally approved the strike on Iran. By morning, members of the restricted Security Cabinet convened in a bunker near the Jerusalem hills. Those ministers had been aware of the planned operation for many weeks.
As part of the preparations for the attack, which, as noted, had been scheduled long beforehand, US President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu held several conversations in recent weeks.
In most cases, the very fact that these discussions had taken place was never made public to avoid triggering a miscalculation by Iran.
One of Netanyahu’s meetings focused on planning the operation, the results of which were seen over the weekend.
The meeting, which lasted approximately three hours, centred on the military planning of the strike. No press statements were made at either the beginning or the end, and aside from a single photograph, no media documentation was released.
At the same time, senior officials in the IDF and the US military held countless discussions to coordinate the joint attack.
Zamir visited US to meet with American military officials
Among other efforts, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Zamir and other senior Israeli officers visited the United States and met with top US military officials, including US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Caine.
In addition, US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Gen. Brad Cooper traveled to Israel several times during this period.
The level of cooperation between Israel and the United States was so close that joint operational procedures were drafted specifically for the mission.
Neither Netanyahu nor Trump has set a deadline for the operation; instead, both have stated that “the Iranians’ opportunity to act will come soon.”
Assessments indicate that it will take several more days to strike all planned targets. The question will then arise whether that is the moment when Washington and Jerusalem leave the rest of the task to the Iranian people.