Israel and US War Aims May be Drifting Apart Amid Ongoing Conflict
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Israeli pilots and generals have been planning and training for long-range strikes on Iran's nuclear programme for over two decades. However, until recently, they had never imagined doing so in a joint air armada with the world's superpower.
Following the opening strikes of the war on February 28th, the Americans and Israelis embarked on a 100-hour plan of attack, working their way down a list of targets. Those running the operation were aware that US President Donald Trump has a propensity for swift declarations of victory and wanted to maximise the damage they could do to the Iranian regime during the first four days.
However, Israeli planners are increasingly aware of where the two countries' strategies may start to diverge. Israeli officials believe that Mr Trump is much less eager than they are, or than they thought he was, to see full regime change. Instead, they reckon he is focused primarily on controlling the flow of oil from Iran.
Regime change is extremely unlikely to happen while the war is raging. Iranians have shown extraordinary bravery in recent months in mass protests despite bloody repression by Iran's security forces. However, they are unwilling to take to the streets while bombs are falling.
