President Donald Trump told Axios late Thursday that he is considering a massive attack on Iran, larger than anything before, and is close to a decision. Trump said Israel would join 'in two minutes' if asked, but warned that there would be consequences for Israel if it joins the strikes.
President Donald Trump late Thursday issued a direct warning to Israel against joining any US strikes on Iran, telling Axios there would be consequences if Israel participates. The statement came hours after Trump said Israel would join 'in two minutes' if asked, marking a sharp rhetorical shift within the same evening.
The warning caps a rapid cascade of declarations on Thursday. At 18:23 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported Trump telling journalist Barak Ravid he was considering a 'massive attack' on Iran and was close to a decision. Minutes later, a series of updates followed: Trump said he was 'seriously considering' a broad war larger than Operation Epic Fury (the February 2026 joint US-Israel operation), and told Channel 12 he was close to a decision. At 18:42, The Zioneer reported Trump stating that Israel would join if he orders a massive attack. By 18:50, in an interview with N12, Trump again said he was close to making a decision. The Axios interview, published late Thursday, added the warning of consequences — the first time Trump has publicly cautioned Israel against participation.
The broader escalation track has been building for weeks. On July 9, The Zioneer reported Trump warning Israel against further retaliation and claiming Iran had signaled willingness to pause attacks. On July 15, The Zioneer reported that Trump had ordered preparations for a massive strike, after chairing a Situation Room meeting on expanded strike plans. On July 21, US officials told Fox News that any renewed broad operation would be significantly more powerful than current operations and that Israel was expected to participate.
The White House has not commented on the Axios interview. Whether the warning signals a change in US policy on Israeli involvement or serves as a rhetorical caveat remains unclear. No decision on a strike has been announced.
7 developments
- StrongIsraeli assessment: Trump to significantly escalate strikes, warns of Iranian retaliation
- StrongTrump says he is 'close to making a decision' on massive attack on Iran, in N12 interview
- DevelopingTrump warns Israel against further retaliation, says Iran signaled willingness to pause attacks if Israel reciprocates
- StrongUS officials: Trump's expanded Iran strikes would be far more powerful, Israel likely to join
Source and signal
- Internal intake