Netanyahu Reportedly Urged Donald Trump To Attack Iran as US President Tells Him To 'Go Ahead and Prepare'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly pressed US President Donald Trump to consider renewed attacks on Iran before elections in both countries, even as the White House disputes that the leaders discussed restarting the war.

The competing accounts emerged after months of fighting involving Israel, the United States and Iran. Israel holds its parliamentary election on 27 October, followed by US midterm elections on 3 November.

Renewed fighting could disrupt voting and expose Israelis to further missile attacks. The dispute has gained fresh relevance since Trump endorsed Netanyahu on 18 October.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also reportedly met Netanyahu in Israel on 19 October to discuss tensions with Iran. Neither development amounts to approval for new strikes.

Benjamin Netanyahu's Reported Request Faces a White House Denial

In its 13 October investigation, Israel's Channel 12 cited American officials who believed Netanyahu wanted further military action before voters went to the polls. He reportedly raised concerns about Iranian moves to rebuild its nuclear programme during private discussions with Trump.

One unnamed American official attributed the words 'go ahead and prepare' to Trump. Axios reported a similar account, rendering the alleged remark as 'go ahead and get ready.' Crucially, the official said the president had made no commitment to launch an operation.

The White House challenged the story. An administration official told Axios that the claim Trump and Netanyahu discussed resuming the war was 'false.'

The official also reiterated Trump's public pledge not to attack Iran before the American midterms. Netanyahu's office denied that he wanted to restart the conflict before Israel's election. It acknowledged regular contact with Trump and senior administration officials but declined to describe the leaders' conversations.

On 14 October, Netanyahu addressed the issue in an Army Radio interview Reuters reported. Asked about a pre-emptive strike before the election, he said, 'It is not convenient for us, it's no good.' He warned that Israel would respond forcefully if Iran or its allies attacked.

Those responses leave the private discussions' account contested. Channel 12 also reported that Netanyahu told Israeli security chiefs Trump first raised the prospect of renewed fighting. Another Israeli official suggested Trump initially appeared receptive before becoming more hesitant.

Benjamin Netanyahu's Iran Talks Put Election Timing in Focus

The suggestion of an electoral motive remains particularly sensitive. An unnamed American official assessed that Netanyahu saw political strength in serving as a wartime prime minister. That opinion does not establish his reasons for discussing Iran's military or nuclear capabilities.

The potential consequences are substantial regardless of the political calculation. According to the reporting, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir warned that renewed fighting might postpone the 27 October election. A major Iranian missile response could make voting difficult.

Yet Israeli intelligence officials reportedly saw no new development warranting an imminent US-Israeli operation. A separate Channel 12 report described recent Iranian ballistic missile tests but said assessments characterised Tehran's rebuilding programme as slow and incomplete.

Channel 12 also reported that Israeli forces and US Central Command were maintaining high readiness. That remains an attributed assessment of military preparations, not evidence that a strike has been ordered.

Trump's public language has nevertheless been forceful. On 13 October, he called Iran a 'failed country' and said Washington would decide what to do 'very soon.' Later, he warned that the United States would 'do a number' on Iran.

On 18 October, Trump publicly endorsed Netanyahu's re-election campaign. The following day, three Israeli officials told Reuters that Hegseth had discussed Iran with Netanyahu during an unannounced visit. The Pentagon declined to comment on the reported meeting.

The reports offer no disclosed operational decision from that meeting. With both elections approaching, the unresolved questions are what the two leaders discussed privately and whether Washington's public promise to avoid pre-midterm strikes will hold.