After months of relative calm, tensions between Israel and Iran have returned to the forefront, driven by renewed Israeli threats and a sharp war of words following Iranian military exercises that included missile tests. Israeli officials view these moves as potential indicators of future attacks, while US media reports suggest Tel Aviv has shared intelligence assessments with Washington covering Iran’s nuclear enrichment activities and missile capabilities. These developments come ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned visit to Washington later this month, where he is set to meet US President Donald Trump.
Despite repeated Israeli threats to strike Iran, its missile program, nuclear facilities, and regional proxies, Israeli rhetoric has grown noticeably more aggressive in recent weeks. This shift has raised concerns about a new military escalation, reminiscent of the joint Israeli–US strikes carried out in June, which targeted dozens of Iranian sites, including nuclear facilities.
Israeli Concerns After Iranian Manoeuvres
The Axios website reported on Monday that Israel has expressed concern that recent Iranian military manoeuvres could serve as cover for a potential attack. Citing Israeli and US sources, the report said Tel Aviv warned the Trump administration that missile exercises conducted by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could be used to launch strikes against Israel.
According to one source, Israel has detected signs that Iran is rebuilding its missile capabilities and taking steps to reconstitute its forces, though not yet to pre-June levels.
In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with RT two days earlier that Iran does not rule out a new Israeli attack but is fully prepared for it. He stressed that this readiness is intended to prevent war, not to welcome it, noting that Israel has attacked seven countries in the region over the past two years and continues to issue threats.
Expectations of Military Escalation
Political analyst and writer Youssef Diab, speaking from Beirut, said the confrontation between Iran and Israel has become open, whether directly or through Iran’s regional allies such as the Houthis, Hezbollah, and Iraqi armed factions. He argued that the current phase is highly conducive to escalation, with strong indications that Israel could launch major operations against Iran and Hezbollah later this year, in coordination with the United States.
Diab told +963 that Israel possesses multiple military pressure tools, including strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, Revolutionary Guard facilities, and missile platforms, as well as threats aimed at destabilizing the Iranian regime. He added that Washington is aware of Israeli preparations and has an interest in weakening Iran amid stalled negotiations, while European states have also grown increasingly alarmed by Iran’s nuclear program.
Read also: Damascus Between Moscow and Ankara: Simultaneous Visits and Political Messages
Israel’s Calculated Strategy
Syrian political activist and analyst Ali Al-Amin Al-Suweid argued that Israel is serious about targeting Iranian military infrastructure across the region. He noted that Israel has carried out more than 200 strikes since 2017, according to foreign estimates, relying on precision tactics against key nuclear and missile facilities inside Iran.
Speaking to +963, he said Israel employs F-35 fighter jets, cyber warfare, electronic attacks such as those targeting the Natanz facility, regional partnerships with Arab states to counter Iranian influence, and international diplomacy aimed at maintaining sanctions and keeping the IRGC designated as a terrorist organization.
He added that Iran’s responses remain largely indirect, relying on regional proxies or limited missile strikes that have so far failed to pose a serious threat. The June attacks, he argued, demonstrated that Iran’s “axis of resistance” was unwilling to ignite a broader conflict, as its allies limited their reactions to statements rather than opening new fronts.
Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held high-level security consultations on Iran ahead of his visit to Washington, amid Israeli doubts that President Donald Trump would approve a direct strike. NBC News said Netanyahu plans to brief Trump on what Israel sees as escalating Iranian threats, including ballistic missile expansion and renewed uranium enrichment; developments that could raise the likelihood of renewed military action.
The US Position
Al-Suweid stressed that US support for Israel remains firm but does not amount to an unconditional green light for a full-scale war. Washington, he said, appears to favour an Iran that is weakened but not destroyed, tense but contained. The confrontation is therefore being managed carefully through calibrated strikes, measured responses, and rapid de-escalation when the risk of wider conflict grows.
Diab, for his part, does not believe the United States is seeking to fully restrain Israel, noting that Trump has repeatedly framed peace in the Middle East as something imposed through strength. He argued that military options remain firmly on the table, pending the outcome of the upcoming Trump–Netanyahu meeting at the White House.
Implications for Syria
Regarding Syria, Diab said the impact of any Israel–Iran escalation would likely remain limited. He argued that Damascus has distanced itself from the so-called “axis of resistance” and is focused on stability and rebuilding state institutions. Syrian officials, he noted, have emphasized their desire to avoid new wars with neighbouring countries unless Iran is proven to be using Syrian territory to transfer weapons or funds to Hezbollah.
Israel launched a major military operation against Iran last June, dubbed “Rising Lion,” which lasted 12 days and targeted dozens of Iranian military and nuclear sites. The United States later joined the campaign, striking key nuclear facilities. President Trump said at the time that US forces had carried out a “very successful” attack on three Iranian nuclear sites, including Fordow, which he described as the crown jewel of Iran’s nuclear program.
According to US officials cited by CNN, six B-2 stealth bombers dropped bunker-busting bombs on the Fordow facility, while US submarines fired cruise missiles at Natanz and Isfahan, underscoring the scale of the confrontation and the risks of its return.
