Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the possibility of launching a new offensive against Iran in 2026 during his meeting with US President Donald Trump on Monday, according to a report by Axios.
Another war with Iran could further destabilize the region, which is already struggling to regain stability after two years of consecutive crises.
Both Trump and Netanyahu viewed the 12-day conflict with Iran in June as a major success.
Netanyahu argued that additional strikes might be necessary to prevent Tehran from reconstituting its military capabilities.
Following the meeting, Trump stated that if Iran attempted to rebuild its nuclear program, the US would ‘destroy it’ once again, while simultaneously adding that he would prefer to reach a nuclear deal with Tehran.
A US source told Axios that Trump would likely support a ‘second round’ of strikes if the USobserves Iran taking concrete and verifiable steps toward rebuilding its nuclear program.
However, the source noted that ‘the question will be whether Israel and the US agree on what constitutes a rebuilding of the program.’
Trump’s repeated assertions that the Iranian nuclear program has already been destroyed by the US make it difficult for him to justify new strikes or to give Netanyahu the green light to carry them out, according to the American news site.
While the US targeted only nuclear facilities within Iran, Israel also struck conventional military assets, specifically ballistic missiles.
Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials have warned recently that Iran is seeking to rebuild its missile program.
During the meeting, Netanyahu discussed with Trump the status of Iran’s nuclear program six months after the conflict and raised Israel’s concerns regarding the Iranian missile program, according to sources.
Netanyahu also brought up Hezbollah’s efforts to reconstruct its arsenal of long-range missiles in Lebanon.
A senior US official stated that Trump and Netanyahu have not yet agreed on a clear timeline, explicit red lines, or detailed understandings regarding any future military action.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on the report, while the White House referred to Trump’s public statements following his meeting with Netanyahu.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
