US President Donald Trump’s special Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff has told Senate Republicans that if Israel attacks Iran’s nuclear facilities, the Iranian Republic’s response could lead to a mass casualty event, according to a Thursday report.
According tothe Axios news site, which cited a US official and a source with direct knowledge, Witkoff told lawmakers in a closed-door briefing last week that Israeli military strikes are on the table if negotiations to reach a nuclear deal fail.
Witkoff is expected in Oman on Sunday for the latest round of the US’s ongoing talks with Iran to reach a deal concerning the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. US President Donald Trump said Thursday that an Israeli strike on Iran “looks like it’s something that could very well happen,” though he called on Israel not to do so, since “we are fairly close to a pretty good agreement.”
Axios reported that Witkoff raised the topic of Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities during the meeting, and claimed that the US is concerned Israel’s air defenses could be overwhelmed by an attack involving hundreds of missiles.
In October 2024, Iran launched hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel, though much of the attack was thwarted by air defenses in Israel with the help of regional allies and the US. A similar attack in April 2024, which used drones and missiles, was also largely foiled.
Axios reported, citing a US official, that since the October attack, Iran has ramped up production of ballistic missiles to some 50 per month. The Islamic Republic’s goal is to produce more missiles than Israel has interceptors, the official said.
Reports have swirled in recent days that Israel is preparing to launch a significant strike against Iran in the coming days, even as the US-Iranian talks are set to continue this weekend.
While Trump expressed some optimism over the talks on Thursday, just a day earlier, the US president said he was getting “less confident about it.”
Amid the growing fears of escalation, the IDF Home Front Command said Thursday evening that there were no changes to guidelines for civilians.
“Following the rumors in the media and on [social] networks, the Home Front Command wishes to make it clear that there is no change in guidelines for the public,” the IDF said.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee stressed on Thursday that he didn’t believe Israel would strike Iran without a green light from the United States.
According to Hebrew media reports on Tuesday, Trump told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call a day earlier that a strike on Iran must be “taken off the table for now,” as the US continues to pursue diplomatic talks.
Channel 12 news reported that Netanyahu did not receive a clear answer from Trump as to whether the US would give Israel a green light to act alone against Iran, or whether Washington would want to participate in or lead a strike.
Nevertheless, the US on Wednesday began evacuating some personnel from its embassy in Iraq, as well as authorized the departure of nonessential personnel and family members from Bahrain and Kuwait, giving them an option on whether to leave the country.