US and Israeli officials revealed that the US-Israeli strike on Iran was delayed by one week.
PANews reported on March 2nd that, according to AXIOS, senior US and Israeli officials revealed that the US and Israel initially planned to launch an attack on Iran a week earlier than originally planned. After the second round of US-Iran talks ended on February 17th without significant progress, US and Israeli military planners were preparing to launch the strike on February 21st. However, operational clearance was never issued. US and Israeli officials stated that a key reason was the severe weather in the region. One Israeli official stated that the delay was primarily initiated by the US and related to the need for better coordination with the Israel Defense Forces. The initial targets of the strikes were Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei and his son, as well as several meetings of senior Iranian officials, including the weekly Saturday meetings. An Israeli intelligence official stated that the US and Israel wanted to send a signal that there would be no immediate attack, thus making Khamenei and others feel safe. The Geneva talks were a means to convince the Iranians that diplomacy remained one of Trump's preferred paths. Another Israeli official stated that the new strike date was set for tactical and operational reasons, while the talks were conducted in good faith. If Trump had seen substantial progress in Geneva, he could have postponed the strike again.
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