Israeli military and security officials have expressed frustration over US President Donald Trump’s shifting approach toward Iran, with senior defence figures reportedly saying Washington’s actions have left Israel “operating in the dark.”
Israel’s Channel 12 reported that despite Trump’s decision to call off planned US strikes, the Israeli military remains on high alert amid concerns that Iran could still take unexpected action.
Israeli officials reportedly expect Trump could reverse his position again in the near future, particularly as they assess that Tehran has not softened its increasingly hostile rhetoric.
Israel learned of decision through social media
Channel 12 political analyst Yaron Avraham said senior Israeli political and security officials were taken completely by surprise by Trump’s announcement.
According to Avraham, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Israel Katz and senior defence commanders only learned that the US attack had been cancelled after Trump publicly announced the decision on social media.
Israel received no advance warning that Washington’s plans had changed during the hours leading up to the announcement, he said.
Senior Israeli officials reportedly complained that lowering military readiness carries significant operational consequences.
“This is not magic,” one official was quoted as saying. “Once alert levels and vigilance are reduced, it takes time to reorganise. It is frustrating to dedicate all your resources to one objective and then discover that the effort was unnecessary. We do not understand what the president’s ultimate goal is.”
Military prepared for possible war
The Israeli military had significantly increased its readiness for a possible conflict with Iran, reportedly based on assessments that a major US attack could take place before the end of the week.
Israeli planners believed that a large-scale American operation inside Iran would probably draw Israel into the campaign. Several military formations were therefore placed on their highest state of alert.
In the hours before Trump’s announcement, Israeli officials reportedly contacted US Central Command in an attempt to clarify Washington’s intentions. However, even American military officials were unable to confirm that the attack had been cancelled.
Israeli officials questioned whether announcement was deception
Sources familiar with the discussions said even Israel’s most senior political leaders received no early notification of Trump’s decision.
After the announcement, Israeli officials reportedly tried to determine whether the statement was part of a deliberate deception operation or represented a genuine change in US policy.
Clear signals that Washington intended to reduce tensions reportedly reached Israel only about an hour later.
The sudden reversal caused frustration within Israel’s security establishment because of the financial and operational cost of mobilising forces and concentrating resources on the Iranian front.
Questions remain over nuclear programme
Kan public broadcaster analyst Gili Cohen said talks between Iran and Oman over the Strait of Hormuz had made progress and had reached an advanced stage, according to officials familiar with the negotiations.
However, she said developments viewed positively by Washington or regional mediators often appear very different from Israel’s perspective.
Israeli officials remain concerned about what any agreement would mean for Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium and for previous US commitments to curb Tehran’s wider regional activities.
“What will happen to the rest of the issues?” Cohen asked. “What will happen to Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, and what will happen to the commitments we heard from the Trump administration about stopping Iranian behaviour? At the moment, all of that remains a major question mark.”
Calls for strikes on Iranian infrastructure
Israeli reserve Major General Yiftah Ron-Tal criticised what he described as American inconsistency, arguing that Israel was facing a historic opportunity to weaken Iran.
“I do not understand these fluctuations,” he told Israel’s Gali Israel radio station. “There is a historic opportunity here, and it must not be missed. Iran’s economic infrastructure should be struck.”
Ron-Tal argued that as long as the current Iranian leadership remained in power, Israel could not be assured that Tehran would permanently abandon its nuclear capabilities.
“Every day we wait gives the regime another opportunity to recover,” he said.
Analyst says Trump benefits from prolonged tensions
Iran and Middle East specialist Eliyahu Yossian offered a different assessment, arguing that Trump had not truly retreated from confronting Iran.
Yossian claimed that prolonged regional tensions benefited the United States economically and strategically.
Every Iranian threat against regional states increases demand for American weapons, he said, while higher oil prices benefit US producers and boost the value of energy and defence companies.
From Trump’s perspective, Yossian argued, Iran does not currently pose an immediate nuclear threat to Israel.
He suggested that Washington may therefore prefer to continue benefiting from the crisis, while public discussion of indecision and policy reversals serves largely as a media distraction from Trump’s broader economic and strategic calculations.