Israeli, Arab officials privately suggest US hold off on Iran strikes

Israeli and Arab officials have told the Trump administration in recent days that they believe the Iranian regime may not yet be weakened to the point where US military strikes would be the decisive blow that topples it, according to a US official, a former US official briefed on the discussions, a person familiar with the Israeli leadership's thinking and two Arab officials, Report informs via NBC News.

The Israeli and Arab officials have suggested that US President Donald Trump, who is weighing military action in Iran in response to the regime's deadly crackdown on protesters, hold back on large-scale strikes for now, with some of them preferring to wait until the regime is even more strained, the sources said.

They also noted the situation in Iran is rapidly developing, with the stability of the regime potentially changing quickly in one direction or the other.

The conversations, which have involved American political and military leaders, underscore the complex dynamic Trump faces as he weighs possible options for US action in Iran. Trump, who was expected to hold a meeting Tuesday with his national security team to review options, has threatened Iran with US military action if the regime is killing protesters.

White House officials have said Trump is considering a range of possible options as protests enter their third week, including ones that don't involve military force. Members of Trump's national security team held a meeting Tuesday morning on Iran that he did not attend, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

One of the Arab officials said there is a "lack of enthusiasm from the neighborhood" for US strikes in Iran right now. Another expressed concern that "any attack or escalation by Israel or the US will unite Iranians" and noted there was a rally-around-the-flag effect in Iran after the American and Israeli attack there in June.

Israeli officials have told the Trump administration that while they fully support regime change in Iran, and US efforts to facilitate it, they are concerned that outside military intervention at this moment might not finish the job that protesters have started, the current US official, the former US official and the person familiar with the Israeli leadership's thinking said.

They said the Israelis have suggested other types of US action aimed at destabilizing the regime and supporting the protesters could help further weaken the regime to the point where larger strikes could then be decisive.

Those possible actions include boosting communications for Iranians around the country to circumvent the regime's internet blackout, increasing or strengthening economic sanctions, launching a cyberattack, or even taking very targeted military action against specific Iranian leaders - that could help facilitate a broader breakdown in the regime, the sources said.