What Israel’s Netanyahu Said To Trump During Secret Phone Call That Led To Iran Strikes: Report

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave President Donald Trump cardinal accusation astir Iranian leaders’ whereabouts ahead of Saturday’s strikes, according to a caller report.

The U.S. and Israel launched a bid of coordinated attacks connected Iran early Saturday, sidesplitting Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and different apical officials. Trump has since said nan subject run was projected to past 4 aliases 5 weeks, but that it could spell “far longer.”

Now, Axios reports that Netanyahu called Trump connected Monday, Feb. 23, and told him that Khamenei, on pinch different apical Iranian officials, were readying to meet successful a azygous location connected Saturday greeting successful Tehran. The CIA reportedly confirmed nan intelligence by Thursday.

The president was already considering strikes connected Iran, but nan telephone telephone helped find nan timeline, according to Axios. Trump, who had wanted to exhaust diplomacy first, was besides told Thursday that negotiations pinch Iranian officials successful Geneva weren’t going anywhere, according to nan outlet.

According to Axios, a U.S. charismatic told Trump Thursday: "If you determine you want to do diplomacy, we will push and conflict to get a deal. But these guys showed america they weren't consenting to make nan woody you will beryllium satisfied with.”

Just 11 hours later, bombs were dropped of Tehran.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine confirmed that Trump gave nan bid to transportation retired nan strikes Friday afternoon.

“At 15:38, 3:38 p.m., connected Friday, February 27, nan United States Central Command, done nan Secretary of War, received nan last spell bid from President Trump,” Caine said Monday. “The president directed, and I quote, ‘Operation Epic Fury is approved. No aborts. Good luck.’”

When asked astir Trump’s telephone pinch Netanyahu, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters nan accusation was “important” to nan timeline.

“I deliberation it was important pinch respect to nan timeline, but I deliberation nan president, anterior to that telephone call, had a bully emotion that nan Iranian authorities was going to onslaught United States assets and our unit successful nan region,” Leavitt said Wednesday.

Trump told reporters Tuesday he believed Iran was going to onslaught first and rejected suggestions Israel had forced his hand.

“We were having negotiations pinch these lunatics, and it was my sentiment that they were going to onslaught first,” Trump said. “They were going to onslaught if we didn't do it. They were going to onslaught first, I felt powerfully astir that.”

“So if anything, I mightiness person forced Israel's hand. But Israel was fresh and we were ready,” he added.

The timeline of nan onslaught besides impacted nan White House’s response, nan outlet reports. An charismatic told Axios nan opportunity for nan onslaught “came connected america truthful fast” that they “didn’t make nan lawsuit successful beforehand arsenic good arsenic we could have.”

The Axios study besides claimed an replacement timeline could person seen strikes being carried retired successful precocious March aliases early April, but Netanyahu had pushed to move it up. A U.S. charismatic reportedly said Netanyahu was “agitating,” and had warned that Iranian guidance leaders were successful danger.

Yechiel Leiter, nan Israeli ambassador to Washington, denied nan declare that Netanyahu had been “agitating” aliases had raised nan threat to Iranian guidance leaders arsenic a logic for accelerating, according to Axios.

“Over nan past year, we person worked much intimately than ever pinch our partners successful nan United States regarding Iran, and we spot oculus to oculus connected nan threat Iran poses to Israel, to nan United States, and to nan free world," Leiter told nan outlet.

The Independent has contacted nan Embassy of Israel for comment. The Pentagon referred The Independent to nan White House erstwhile reached for comment, and nan The White House referred The Independent to Leavitt’s comments.