Washington, Jan. 19 -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged US President Donald Trump last week not to carry out a strike on Iran, arguing that Israel is not fully prepared to withstand Tehran's retaliation, according to The Washington Post, citing an unnamed source close to the White House.
A US official said a major consideration was the lack of a substantial American military presence in the region, which Israel had relied on to help intercept Iran's ballistic missiles during the 12-day war in June.
The report adds that Trump's senior advisers believed a strike was imminent as of midweek, but tensions eased after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi sent a text message to Trump's Middle East adviser, Steve Witkoff, which "helped ...