Wednesday saw yet another early morning Axios 'scoop' that within hours of being issuedproved prematureand too out front, given talk of Iran and the US being 'close' to a deal was quickly denied by Tehran and even President Trump quickly acknowledged it's "too soon" to plan peace talks with Iran.
But the headline of"US and Iran closing in on one-page memo to end war" was enough to raise alarm bells in Israel, which has insisted that the conflict must end with a nuclear-free Iran.
"Israel was unaware that US President Donald Trump was close to reaching an agreement with Iran to end the fighting and open the Strait of Hormuz," an Israeli official told Army Radio soon after the optimistic peace deal headlines went international.
"We were preparing for an escalation,"the official said. Indeed the last couple weeks of stalled Pakistan-mediated talks have seen several reports out of Israel saying the Netanyahu government iswaiting for the 'green light' from Washington to renew the aerial bombing campaign, which took place over prior 38 days as part of Operation Epic Fury.
But as of Tuesday Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Epic Fury was ending, and that Project Freedom - to open the Strait of Hormuz - is the new focus. But even after that President Trump in the eveningannounced a 'pause' to allow negotiations to proceed.
So there has been much confusion and contradictory signaling out of Washington to say the least. Tehran has meanwhile made clear its "finger is on the trigger" - but Israel is also saying the same thing.
For example, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Wednesday made it known that military has a"series of targets"ready to strike in Iran at the moment the war resumes.
"Cooperation with the United States military and coordination continue at all times, and we are monitoring the situation," hestatedduring a visit to southern Lebanon, where Israel ground forces are occupying territory.
"In Iran, we have a further series of targets ready for attack. We are on high alert to return to an intense and broad campaign that will allow us to deepen our achievements and further weaken the Iranian regime," Zamir said further.
Kind of wild that Barak Ravid has predicted seven of the last zero peace deals between the US and Iran.
Source: ZeroHedge News
