Expert: What is Israel's Intent Behind Sending Signals of "Independent Action" Against Iran?

On February 7, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced in a statement that Prime Minister Netanyahu will meet with U.S. President Trump on the 11th to discuss negotiations regarding Iran, moving the date up by at least a week from the originally planned February 18 to 22.

It is reported that Israeli defense officials recently conveyed to U.S. officials that Iran's ballistic missile program poses an "existential" threat to Israel. If Iran crosses the red lines set by Israel regarding ballistic missiles, Israel will take action independently.

As Netanyahu prepares for his visit to the U.S., does this message from Israel indicate that it will bypass the U.S. and act alone? What are the prerequisites for Israel to consider military action?

Military expert Zhang Xuefeng: From Israel's perspective, coordinating and collaborating with the U.S. to strike Iran is more advantageous. Last June, while the U.S. was negotiating with Iran and had no intention of taking proactive military action, Israel had already made early preparations against Iran, such as conducting intelligence infiltration and deploying weaponry. If they do not act, all previous efforts would be in vain, so they chose to act independently and preemptively. Now that the U.S. is in a strong position, if Israel can coordinate with the U.S., the effectiveness of the strike may be even better. The Israeli delegation planning to visit the U.S. includes heads of intelligence and the incoming Air Force commander, primarily for related coordination.

Military expert Zhang Xuefeng: Of course, the "red line" still depends on whether there are breakthroughs in limiting the range and quantity of Iran's ballistic missiles. For Israel, Iran's medium- and long-range ballistic missiles pose the greatest threat; if their numbers can be limited, Israel may choose to wait and see.