❗️US wanted Israel to attack Iran so Trump could dodge midterm election fallout, Israeli report alleges

The US urged Israel during talks over the past two weeks to launch an independent attack on Iran, Hebrew-language daily Maariv reports, saying Washington wanted Israel, rather than US President Donald Trump, to bear the political risks ahead of November's US midterm elections.

According to the report, the request followed developments indicating that Iran was rapidly restoring its production capacity for drones and ballistic missiles. Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir reportedly told US officials, as cited by journalist Barak Ravid, that an independent Israeli attack would likely lead to a postponement of Israel's elections.

Washington has since backed away from the demand, Maariv said, amid calculations that an attack could damage Trump's electoral prospects while benefiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel's elections.

A Bloomberg report published on Saturday said Iran had preserved its missile and drone factories despite months of US and Israeli bombing, citing people familiar with the matter. The sources said this would allow Tehran to replenish its arsenal, while Trump has refrained from launching further attacks ahead of the US midterms.

Western sources cited in the report said Iran remains capable of producing weapons to replenish its stockpiles and could rapidly increase its supply of ballistic missiles and anti-ship weapons. Earlier intelligence assessments from June also indicated that Russia was likely supplying missiles to Iran.