Netanyahu’s secret call to Trump provided intelligence that launched the Iran war by revealing a target opportunity.
Netanyahu’s Secret Call
On Monday, February 23, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Donald Trump and shared information about a February 28 meeting between Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his high-ranking advisors, according to Axios citing three sources. During the call, Netanyahu told the U.S. president that they could all be killed in one devastating airstrike.
The report explains why the attack was conducted at this particular time, answering questions from politicians, world leaders, and even skeptics from Trump’s own (MAGA) camp. Trump and Netanyahu didn’t want to miss such an opportunity, though the U.S. president had previously been inclined to strike Iran but was undecided about the timing, Axios reported.
Intelligence Gathering
U.S. and Israeli representatives stated that the February 23 phone call was part of months of intensive coordination between the two leaders. In the two months preceding the attack on Iran, the leaders met twice and spoke by phone 15 times.
Media reports had earlier indicated that the United States and Israel considered launching operations in Iran a week earlier, but were postponed for operational, intelligence, and weather reasons. Following the Monday conversation, the CIA confirmed preliminary Israeli intelligence on Khamenei at Trump’s request.
Decision Timeline
Preparations accelerated when Trump told Netanyahu he was considering further action. First, however, the president was scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday evening. U.S. officials reported that Trump decided not to focus too much on Iran to avoid alarming Khamenei, who might hide from an attack.
By Thursday, the CIA had “fully confirmed” that all targets would be together and that “we must use this opportunity,” according to an Axios source. That day, Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner called from Geneva, where they had been speaking with Iranian parties, and admitted negotiations were going nowhere.
Military Operations
Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), provided data on the first days of operations in Iran. He stated that over 50,000 U.S. troops, 200 fighter jets, two aircraft carriers, and bombers are participating in “Epic Fury,” with additional capabilities being deployed.
Cooper emphasized that this is the largest accumulation of American forces in the Middle East in a generation. He reported that U.S. forces have attacked nearly 2,000 targets in Iran since Saturday, seriously damaging Iran’s air defense and destroying hundreds of Iranian ballistic missile and drone launchers.
The admiral reported that U.S. B-2 and B-1 bombers conducted precise strikes on missile-related deep inside Iranian territory. He also stated that Iran’s navy is being sunk, with 17 Iranian navy vessels destroyed, including their best submarine. “For years, the Iranian regime has intimidated international shipping. Today there is not a single Iranian ship in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman,” declared the commander.
Cooper reported that U.S. forces are now hunting Iran’s last mobile ballistic missile launchers to eliminate what he called the remnants of Iran’s missile capabilities. He informed that Iran retaliated with over 500 ballistic missiles and more than 2,000 drones. “Iran’s ability to attack us and our partners is weakening, while our combat strength is growing,” Cooper concluded.
