WASHINGTON — Israeli officials are increasingly concerned that Iran is expanding production of its ballistic missile program, which was crippled by Israeli military strikes earlier this year, and are preparing to brief President Donald Trump on options for attacking it again, according to a person with direct knowledge of the plans and four former U.S. officials briefed on the plans.
Israeli officials are also concerned that Iran is rebuilding nuclear fuel enrichment facilities that the US bombed in June, the sources said. However, they added, officials view Iran's efforts to rebuild facilities where it produces ballistic missiles and repair damaged air defense systems as more pressing issues.
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to meet later this month in Florida at the president's Mar-a-Lago estate. At the meeting, sources said, Netanyahu is expected to make the case to Trump that Iran's expansion of its ballistic missile program poses a threat that may require swift action.
They said part of his argument is expected to be that Iran's actions pose a danger not only to Israel but to the wider region, including US interests. The Israeli leader is expected to present Trump with options for U.S. participation in or assistance in any new military operations, the sources said.
Asked Thursday about a Dec. 29 meeting with Netanyahu, Trump told reporters: “We haven't formally agreed yet, but he would like to see me.” Israeli officials announced the meeting on December 29.
The Israeli government declined to comment. Iran's UN mission did not respond to requests for comment.
“The International Atomic Energy Agency and the Iranian government have confirmed the U.S. government's assessment that Operation Midnight Hammer has completely destroyed Iran's nuclear capabilities,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement. “As President Trump said, if Iran pursues nuclear weapons, that facility will be attacked and destroyed before they even get close.”
Israel's plans to brief Trump on possible additional military strikes on Iran and give him the opportunity to join them come as the president is considering military strikes in Venezuela that would open a new military front for the United States, and as he touts his administration's bombing campaign against Iran's nuclear program and the success of ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
In an address to the nation on Wednesday, Trump said he told Americans he had “destroyed the Iranian nuclear threat and ended the war in Gaza, bringing peace to the Middle East for the first time in 3,000 years.”
Israel's concerns about Iran come as Tehran has expressed interest in resuming diplomatic talks with the United States aimed at unwinding its nuclear deal, potentially complicating Israel's approach to Trump over new strikes.
Funding Iranian proxies in the region is also a priority for the Israelis, according to a person with direct knowledge of Israel's plans.
“The nuclear weapons program is very worrying. There is an attempt to rebuild. It's not that immediate,” the person said.
The June US strikes on Iran, known as Operation Midnight Hammer, involved more than 100 aircraft, a submarine and seven B-2 bombers. Trump said they “destroyed” Iran's nuclear fuel enrichment facilities, albeit earlier estimates indicated that the damage may not have been as extensive as the president claimed.
At the same time, Israeli forces attacked several Iranian ballistic missile sites.
Israeli military strikes in April and October 2024 also damaged all of Iran's S-300 air defense systems, the most advanced system the country operates, clearing the way for manned flights into Iranian airspace months later, dramatically reducing the threat to pilots.
Unlike attacks on Iran's ballistic missile program, direct U.S. military intervention was necessary to cause significant damage to Iran's nuclear facilities, as it would require 30,000-pound U.S.-made bunker-busting bombs.
Last week, Trump hinted that he might be willing to return to talks with Iran and also warned Tehran against trying to rebuild its ballistic missile or nuclear programs.
He said Iran “could try” to revive its ballistic missile program, but “it would take them a long time to go back.”
“But if they really want to come back without a deal, then we're going to kill that deal too,” Trump said. “You know, we can knock out their missiles very quickly, we have enormous strength.”
Before the June strikes, the Israelis presented Trump with four military options, according to a person with direct knowledge of Israel's plans. Israeli officials laid out the options on a coffee table in the Oval Office, the person said. One involved Israel going it alone, another involved limited US support, a third had the US and Israel conducting joint operations against Iran, and a fourth had the US conducting the operation on its own, the person said. Ultimately, Trump decided to approve the joint operation. A person with direct knowledge of Israel's plans suggested that Netanyahu could present Trump with a similar set of options during their meeting at Mar-a-Lago.
The fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is also expected to figure prominently in talks between Netanyahu and Trump amid concerns that both sides may be unable to commit to the next phase of the deal.
Under the second stage of the agreement, Israel must withdraw its troops from the Gaza Strip, and an interim body will take over the Palestinian enclave instead of Hamas. It is also expected that an international stabilization force will be deployed to Gaza.
Trump may be less enthusiastic about new military action in Iran if tensions continue between U.S. and Israeli officials over Netanyahu's approach to the ceasefire, two former Israeli officials said.
If left unchecked, Iran's ballistic missile production could increase to 3,000 a month, according to a person with direct knowledge of Israel's plans and former U.S. officials briefed on the plans.
The ballistic missile threat and the number of missiles the Iranians could use in an attack is Israel's most pressing concern, said one former Israeli official who has discussed the concerns with current Israeli officials.
“After the last conflict, there is no real doubt that we will be able to achieve air superiority and inflict much more damage on Iran than Iran can inflict on Israel,” the official said. “But the missile threat is very real, and we failed to prevent them last time.”
A larger volume of ballistic missiles will help Iran better protect its nuclear fuel enrichment facilities, said a person with direct knowledge of Israel's plans and one of the former U.S. officials briefed on the plans. They said Israeli officials had similar concerns about Iran rebuilding its missile defense systems and funding and arming its proxies in the region, believing Tehran would then speed up the rebuilding of its nuclear program because it would be able to better protect its enrichment facilities.
