Israel seen as likely to attack Iran by midyear, Washington Post reports

U.S. intelligence warns that Israel is likely to launch a preemptive attack on Iran's nuclear program by midyear, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing multiple intelligence reports.

Such an attack would set back Iran's nuclear program by weeks or months while escalating tension in the region and risking a wider conflict, according to multiple intelligence reports from the end of the Biden administration and the start of the Trump administration, the newspaper reported.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the report. The White House declined to comment. The Post said the Israeli government, CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency, and Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment.

Brian Hughes, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, told the Post that President Donald Trump "will not permit Iran to get a nuclear weapon."

"While he prefers negotiating a resolution to America's long-standing issues with the Iranian regime peacefully, he will not wait indefinitely if Iran isn't willing to deal, and soon," Hughes told The Post.

The Post said the most comprehensive of the intelligence reports came in early January and was produced by the intelligence directorate of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Defense Intelligence Agency.

It warned that Israel was likely to attempt an attack on Iran's Fordow and Natanz nuclear facilities.

Reuters