Israel may strike Iran’s Fordow nuclear site before Trump’s two-week deadline: Report

Amid speculation whether US President Donald Trump would strike Iran, Israeli officials said that they do not want to wait two weeks for Tehran to reach a deal to dismantle key parts of its nuclear program, Reuters reported, citing sources. It added that Israel could act alone before the deadline given by Trump is up, and Tel Aviv has communicated its concerns to the US administration officials on Thursday in a tense phone call, as described by the sources.

According to the report citing anonymous sources, the Israeli officials said that they do not want to wait for the two-week deadline given by the US president on Thursday. After speculations about whether the US would enter the conflict in the Middle East, Trump said, “I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks.” In the call with Trump administration officials, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Israel Katz and military chief Eyal Zamir were among the participants.

The sources added that Israelis believe they have a limited window of opportunity to strike the deeply buried nuclear site at Fordow. The United States is the only country to have bunker-busting bombs, which are powerful enough to reach the facility dug into the side of a mountain.

Reuters earlier reported that the US was moving its B-2 bombers to the Pacific island of Guam, reinforcing the possibility that the US may get directly involved in an attack. The B-2 is capable of carrying a 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator of the US, which can destroy underground targets like the Fordow nuclear facility.

The report added that a US official familiar with the matter said that Israel has communicated to Washington that it believes Trump’s deadline of two weeks is too long and swift action is needed amid the conflict.

During the call between Israeli and US officials, Vice President JD Vance pushes back, saying that the United States shouldn’t be directly involved with the conflict in the Middle East. He suggested that Israelis were dragging the US into war, the sources said. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was also present in the call. Who else took part in the call was not clear. The Jerusalem Post reported earlier that a phone call took place on Thursday.

Israel has accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, citing it as the reason behind its military operations against Tehran. But Iran has consistently denied the claim, insisting that its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes.

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