US Forces Ready for Major Strikes on Iran Within 96 Hours of Trump's Order: Report

Washington, DC: US forces in West Asia are prepared to launch new, potentially major military operations against Iran within 96 hours of receiving an order from US President Donald Trump, with sufficient forces deployed in the region to carry out the attacks, CNN reported, citing two US officials.

The scope of the potential operations would likely go beyond limited strikes on Iranian radars, missile launchers and other military assets that can be quickly rebuilt, the officials told CNN. "It will be a big effort," one of the officials told CNN. The report said the assessment had also been echoed by other current and former US officials familiar with internal military planning discussions, some of whom believe it is a question of when, not if, Trump will issue an order.

They believe the order could come any time before the end of the year, although most likely after the US midterm elections, CNN reported. US officials acknowledged that Iranian forces are now more familiar with American military tactics, making it harder for the US military to destroy all intended targets. However, leaders at US Central Command (CENTCOM) and the Pentagon have been developing a wide-ranging target list that includes Iranian energy infrastructure, military sites and nuclear facilities.

Officials told CNN that Trump has not made up his mind on his next steps after the midterm elections, although he appears to be leaning towards ordering major military action. They cautioned, however, that the US President has previously appeared inclined towards certain actions before backing away at the last moment.

The White House declined to comment on the report. A senior Pentagon official told CNN in a statement, “The Department is a planning organisation, and its job is to develop and execute military options ordered by the President.” Recent US intelligence assessments indicate that Iran and Yemen's Houthi rebels are taking the possibility of renewed US attacks, potentially alongside Israel, seriously, according to two additional sources familiar with the assessments.

If the US and Israel launch new military operations against Iran, Tehran and the Houthis would likely retaliate immediately by targeting American personnel and facilities across the region and potentially beyond, the sources told CNN. An unclassified October 23 memo from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US intelligence had found that "Iran has substantially increased efforts to target US personnel" and that plotting efforts "have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries," CNN previously reported.

US intelligence officials believe Iran and the Houthis are unlikely to launch preemptive escalatory attacks against American personnel or Israel at this stage but would not hesitate to retaliate if Iran is targeted first by US or Israeli forces, one source familiar with the latest assessments told CNN.

The regional threat posed by Iran and the Houthis is also one reason the US is expected to continue quietly withdrawing personnel from its embassies across West Asia in the coming days, the report said. The US Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is currently the only American diplomatic facility in the region under an ordered departure. However, one source told CNN that other facilities are expected to receive similar directives, while those without such orders would be scaled down under a personnel cap.

Additionally, nonessential US military personnel expected to deploy to West Asia as part of the next troop rotation have been told they will no longer be sent, according to a US official, further underscoring the possibility of regional escalation. Despite an increase in the number of tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, oil prices remain high, partly due to the threat of possible Iranian attacks. One US official acknowledged that the current situation around the waterway was "untenable" in the long term and could be a factor pushing Trump towards military action, barring a last-minute diplomatic breakthrough.

CNN reported that questions remain over whether the White House has a broader strategy for ending the conflict. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing for additional attacks against Iran, but US officials have asked him to delay until the Trump administration is ready to conduct joint operations, according to two US officials and an Israeli security source cited by CNN.

"Netanyahu really wanted and tried to convince Trump for a joint attack in Iran before the elections, and Trump did not give a green light," the Israeli security source told CNN. The source added that one reason Trump declined was that Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir had told US General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that an attack would harm the elections in Israel and lead to their postponement.

Israel had been preparing for the possibility of launching additional attacks against Iran over the preceding week and had lobbied US officials to support and complement the strikes, a third source briefed on the matter told CNN. However, senior US officials, including Trump, had told Israel to hold off, signalling that the two countries would launch joint operations soon.

Israel appears to have postponed additional strikes in the immediate term but is building up for potential joint operations with the US, likely after the American midterm elections, the sources told CNN. The report added that Israel appeared to have agreed to delay new strikes partly because it needs US support for missile defence, as Iranian and Houthi retaliation could further strain Israel's defensive munitions.

Recent US intelligence assessments also indicate that Netanyahu and his allies still lack a clear strategic objective beyond demonstrating some form of “progress” and continuing to degrade the Iranian regime, one source familiar with the assessments told CNN. Netanyahu said this week, during a speech at an IDF graduation ceremony, that his directive to the IDF, the Mossad and other security agencies was to topple the regime in Iran.

"The plans are ready, waiting for Trump’s approval, could be after the midterms," the same source told CNN. Meanwhile, ahead of the elections, Israel's Channel 12 reported on Sunday night that there appears to be a confrontation brewing between Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and the IDF Chief of Staff General Eyal Zamir over launching attacks on Iran.

In response, Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz on Monday denied reports of a confrontation between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Zamir over possible military action against Iran, saying Israel had no intention of launching an "attack" before the country's elections, according to The Times of Israel.

"The reports of disagreements between the political leadership and the IDF on Iran are completely baseless and false," Katz said in a statement. “I state unequivocally that Israel had no intention of initiating an attack on Iran before the elections in Israel, while making clear that if Iran attacks Israel, we will respond with great force,” he said, adding that “all reports on this matter are completely false.” 

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