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Preparations for a possible attack by Iran have been ordered to be stepped up by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) under directives from the security cabinet led by caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a report published by Israeli public broadcaster KAN on November 11.
The reported directives could risk escalation, the broadcaster noted, adding that details regarding the scope of the potential operations remain limited. Meanwhile, Yashar Party leader Gadi Eisenkot, who has been tasked with forming the next government, has cautioned against taking non-urgent action. So far, there has been no official confirmation from either the Israeli Prime Minister's Office or the IDF regarding an imminent strike, with the latest developments remaining consistent with previous readiness reports. Against this backdrop of heightened operational readiness, United States President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu engaged in a heated telephone conversation in recent days, which reportedly deteriorated into an acrimonious exchange amid ongoing disagreements over the course of the war with Iran, according to Israeli media reports. According to reports by Israeli news organisations Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth, the Israeli leader repeatedly pushed for renewed military action and urged Trump to restart the war during the call, whereas the American President preferred allowing ongoing peace negotiations with Tehran to continue and backed a diplomatic approach as talks progressed. Netanyahu has consistently argued that Washington should resume strikes and actively pursue regime change within the Islamic Republic, while Trump has favoured maintaining economic pressure to secure diplomatic concessions from Tehran. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office rejected claims that the conversation became confrontational, describing the reports as "fake news". Sources quoted by both outlets described the conversation as having descended into a "shouting match from hell". A senior Israeli official confirmed that the two leaders spoke over the weekend but denied that any confrontation had taken place. Reflecting past tensions, Trump and Netanyahu have previously had heated telephone exchanges over the conflict. Following several disagreements in June, Trump told The Post that he had called Netanyahu "f***ing crazy" during one conversation. The latest reports emerged days after the Financial Times said Netanyahu had been telephoning Trump daily to persuade him to resume an all-out war. Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving Prime Minister, is facing uncertainty over his position after losing seats in the general election held in October. Continuing this hardline stance, Netanyahu has argued that Washington must restart attacks on Iran and pursue regime change. Addressing the 26th Knesset assembly on Tuesday, he said replacing Iran's leadership was the only way to end what he described as Tehran's reign of terror and halt its nuclear programme. Iran is working to renew the nuclear threat. The only way to permanently remove this existential threat is by toppling the ayatollah regime, Netanyahu said. In contrast, Trump has resisted calls to resume the conflict, choosing instead to let the US economic pressure campaign continue in an effort to compel Iran to make concessions. Asked during a "60 Minutes" interview on Sunday whether he would restart the war, Trump said he did not think "there's any reason to". Ultimately, the reported exchange underscored the leaders' differing positions, with Netanyahu seeking renewed military action and regime change in Iran, while Trump continued to favour diplomacy and economic pressure. Israel has denied that the weekend call developed into a clash. (ANI)
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