Official says US will decide whether to join Israel in striking Iran in next 24 to 48 hours – report

US official: “The expectation is that they join, but no one is pushing them,” says the official. “They have to make their own decision.”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Israel can expect to be informed of whether or not the United States will participate in military strikes against Iran in the next 24 to 48 hours,  a US official told The Times of Israel on Thursday.

“The expectation is that they join, but no one is pushing them,” says the official. “They have to make their own decision.”

“We’ll know in the next 24-48 hours,” the official said.

Earlier in the day, while inspecting the aftermath of an Iranian missile strike in Holon, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was “the modern Hitler” and asserted that he “cannot be allowed to continue to exist.”

Katz emphasized that eliminating Khamenei aligns with Israel’s objectives in the ongoing conflict. “There is no doubt this man should not remain in power,” he told reporters.

Addressing the media, Katz said, “A dictator like Khamenei, who leads a nation that openly calls for the destruction of Israel, must not be allowed to achieve such a monstrous goal.”

Referencing Katz’s statements, the official said that the Defense Minister was speaking with the approval of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The official said, “Katz always makes his statements according to what Netanyahu asks him to do. He’s not doing it on his own.”

Earlier that day, Iranian missile attacks struck Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, injuring 71 people. Additional missile impacts were reported in Holon and Ramat Gan, leaving 89 wounded. By the afternoon, a total of 271 individuals were receiving medical treatment as a result of the strikes.

Speaking to ABC News on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied the claim that assassinating Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would escalate the conflict between Israel and Iran. Instead, he said, it would “end it.”

Netanyahu was responding to a question by ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl concerning reports that Trump vetoed the notion of assassinating Khamenei for fear of escalation.

The premier said, “It’s not going to escalate the conflict; it’s going to end the conflict.”

However, US President Donald Trump urged Netanyahu not to consider eliminating Iran’s supreme leader, according to Reuters and reportedly the premier, that “it was not a good idea.”

Later on Fox News, Netanyahu would neither confirm nor deny the Reuters report about his conversation with Trump.

“There are so many false reports of conversations that never happened, and I’m not going to get into that,” the Israeli prime minister said.

He added, “But I can tell you I think we do what we need to do. We will do what we need to do, and I think the United States knows what is good for the United States, and I’m just not going to get into it.”

Benjamin NetanyahuOperation Rising LionTrump administration