Trump canceled last attack on Iran, now Israeli sources fear that green light might never come

The concern in Israel is that, given Trump’s desire for a diplomatic agreement, he might oppose even a symbolic strike the next time tensions escalate.

Amichal Stein / THE JERUSALEM POST 

There is growing concern in Jerusalem that US President Donald Trump might not give Israel the green light to respond to Iranian attacks, even with a limited or symbolic strike.

Israel might find itself in a situation where it has to confront Iran alone, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday at a meeting of the security cabinet.

“We may have to strike without American backing, despite all the costs involved,” he said. “We do not want to reach that point, but we know we are capable of it.”

During a phone call with Netanyahu on Sunday evening, following the Iranian ballistic-missile attack, Trump did not explicitly say, “Don’t,” regarding an Israeli response, but he conveyed that he wanted a measured reaction.

“We are close to an agreement,” Trump told Netanyahu during the phone call.

Later that evening, Israel struck several targets, including radar systems, air-defense batteries, weapons-production facilities, and a petrochemical plant. Read more here.