NBC News reported on Saturday that US President Donald Trump will receive a briefing from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicating that any expansion of Iran’s ballistic missile programme constitutes a threat that may require swift action.
The network’s report explained that Israeli officials are concerned that Iran may resume operations at uranium enrichment sites previously struck by the United States in June, and that they are preparing to brief Trump on renewed options for targeting the missile programme.
Separately, the official Hebrew Broadcasting Authority reported on Saturday that Netanyahu will present Trump, during their anticipated meeting, with a package of military options for dealing with Iran, amid what Tel Aviv describes as an escalation of the “Iranian threat”.
The sources noted that “Netanyahu will present Trump with updated intelligence on developments in Iran’s ballistic missile programme, with an increased Israeli focus on this file compared to the nuclear programme”.
They added that “Tel Aviv claims Iran is accelerating the rehabilitation of production facilities damaged in previous attacks, while simultaneously working to restore air defence systems”.
According to the report, “the proposed scenarios range from a unilateral Israeli strike, to limited US support, to a joint military operation, and extend to direct US action against targets inside Iran”.
The same report stated that “Tel Aviv estimates that Iran could reach a production pace of approximately 3,000 ballistic missiles per month if this trajectory is not curbed, which could bring about a shift in regional power balances”.
