Trump told Netanyahu US will back Israeli strikes if negotiations fail – report

President Donald Trump reportedly told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently that the US will back Israeli airstrikes on Iran’s missile program if negotiations fail.

By World Israel News Staff

President Donald Trump pledged to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US will back Israeli airstrikes on Iran’s ballistic missile program if negotiations between the US and Iran fail, two sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.

In a report published on Sunday, CBS News said that the US military and intelligence agencies are working to prepare for a possible Israeli air campaign against Iran, focusing on ways in which the US could aid Israel during a future war with the Islamic Republic.

Officials have laid out a number of steps the US military could take to indirectly aid the Israeli air campaign, including the use of American aircraft to provide midair refueling of Israeli Air Force jets, two other US officials told CBS News.

The US could also secure permission from various countries in the region for IDF warplanes to travel through their airspace to and from Iran.

However, as of now, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have all refused such requests.

President Trump’s offer of support was made during his meeting with Netanyahu at the president’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in late December, the report said.

US and Iranian officials are slated to engage in indirect talks in Geneva on Tuesday, the second round of negotiations this month.

The first round, held in Muscat, Oman, marked the first contact between the US and Iran since the 12-day war last June.

In the meantime, the US continues its military buildup in the Middle East, with a second aircraft carrier battle group, centered on the USS Gerald R. Ford, en route to the region, joining the USS Abraham Lincoln.