Israel warned the US that Iran might use chemical weapons — NYT
Some American officials expressed doubt about this warning, emphasizing that Israel wants to resume the war against Iran in this way.
Israel warned the US about the possibility of Iran using chemical weapons — NYT
Israeli intelligence gathered information about the possibility that Iran might use chemical weapons against its rivals and passed it on to the US. The New York Times reported this, citing sources.
Some American officials are skeptical of this warning. In their view, the Israeli government is thereby trying to convince the Trump administration to resume large-scale military actions against Iran. However, there are also those who believe that the warning should be taken seriously.
Israel also shared the intelligence data with the Gulf states. Some of them expressed doubt that Iran is planning to use chemical weapons and said that Israel is trying to escalate the war in this way.
The US has repeatedly stated that Iran possesses chemical weapons or is planning to develop them. Tehran, however, stated that it developed such weapons during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s and subsequently destroyed them.
In recent weeks, reports have been circulating about the possibility of the US launching new strikes against Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump spoke by phone on October 31. During this conversation, Netanyahu reportedly asked the president to resume strikes against Iran after the Congressional elections.
On the night of October 3, the US struck Iran's Qeshm Island, explaining it as a response to American drones being fired upon. US President Donald Trump said he could end the conflict at any time and called the $30 billion spent on the military confrontation with Iran "a small amount of money."