Trump Administration Does Not Want Israel Involved in US Strikes on Iran: Report

Washington DC, US: Following the recent military escalation in West Asia with Iran, the Trump administration does not want to involve Israel in the strikes over concerns that further involvement of the Jewish state could escalate the conflict, CNN reported, citing two Israeli sources.

It comes after days of military escalation between Tehran and Washington, during which the US alleged that Iran had been involved in attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, following which its forces conducted several strikes on Tehran in retaliation.

The Islamic Republic retaliated with strikes on US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, further exacerbating the military confrontation between the two sides.

According to CNN, citing Israeli sources, the US administration is seeking to keep Israel away from direct involvement in the ongoing military actions against Iran.

"[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu would really want to join the US strikes," one of the sources told CNN. "But the US doesn't want Israel involved at the moment," the source added.

Earlier on Thursday, Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) were prepared to resume military operations against Iran, even without external support.

"The IDF is on high alert and prepared to resume the campaign, regain air superiority, and carry out an independent Israeli strike against Iran to eliminate threats -- even for a third time," Katz said during the graduation ceremony for the IDF's newest pilots.
"If we have to return, we will return with even greater force," he added.

However, one of the sources told CNN that the prevailing assessment in Israel is that US President Donald Trump does not want a return to a full-scale conflict with Iran.

The source added that the maximum step Trump may consider could be the reintroduction of a naval blockade on Iranian ports rather than a broader military escalation.

On Wednesday, Trump said that he does not believe the conflict with Iran will resume despite his saying that the ceasefire agreement with the Islamic Republic was effectively "over" for him.

Speaking at a press conference following the conclusion of the 2026 NATO Summit in Turkiye, Trump said, "I don't think it's going to start again. I think it's going to go very quickly. They hit a couple of ships, and so we hit them much harder. When they hit, we hit 10 times harder."