Trump Calls Off Strikes On Iran At Last Minute
President Trump Image by Getty Images
(JTA) — President Trump approved military strikes against Iran in retaliation for downing an American surveillance drone, but held off on ordering them.
As late as 7 p.m. on Thursday, military and diplomatic officials were expecting a strike, after intense discussions and debate at the White House among the president’s top national security officials and congressional leaders, the New York Times reported, citing multiple senior administration officials involved in or briefed on the deliberations.
The president had initially approved attacks on a handful of Iranian targets, like radar and missile batteries, official told the Times.
The operation was underway in its early stages when it was called off, a senior administration official said. Planes were in the air and ships were in position, but no missiles had been fired when word came to stand down, the official said.
The abrupt reversal put a halt to what would have been the president’s third military action against targets in the Middle East. Trump twice has ordered strikes at targets in Syria, in 2017 and 2018.
Asked about the plans for a strike and the decision to hold back, the White House declined to comment, as did Pentagon officials.
The post Strikes on Iran ordered by Trump aborted at last minute appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.
If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
