Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to refrain from retaliating against Iran following a missile attack, at the request of US President Donald Trump. Trump asked Netanyahu to hold off in order to give Washington more time to reach a diplomatic agreement with Tehran.
According to a report by Axios, a senior US official and a senior Israeli official stated that during a phone call, Trump urged Netanyahu not to respond to the attack. The US official said Trump believes they are close to achieving something positive through a deal.
The US official noted that Netanyahu initially tried to convince Trump to allow Israel to attack Iran but eventually agreed to the President's request. The official described the latest call as more calm compared to a previous heated exchange between the two leaders.
After the call, the US official said, 'We think the President has bought some time. He is very adamant that we are close to a deal with Iran. I don't think Israel is going to attack anytime soon.'
The official added, 'We are at a critical juncture. Why risk a potential deal when you are at the final stage? The President believes we have been in this process for three months. Now is the time to finish it.'
Israel's Channel 12 News reported that no formal decision has been made in Israel yet, and according to information from half an hour ago, Netanyahu was still meeting with senior security officials on the issue.
