Israel was prepared over the weekend for the possibility that US President Donald Trump would order a strike on Iran, but no such order was ultimately issued, two sources told The Jerusalem Post.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Israel's top security officials on Friday afternoon, the sources said.
The US military was also preparing for the possibility that Trump would order a renewed military operation against Iran. In an interview with CNN, Trump said that "the US could destroy 38 Iranian bridges in one hour."
Meanwhile, mediators continued efforts to broker a deal between Washington and Tehran. Two diplomatic sources told the Post that Trump had given Vice President JD Vance and other senior administration officials "a few days" to reach an agreement.
In the CNN interview, Trump said there was a "very low probability" that he would order the US to return to war with Iran if progress was made in talks between Tehran and Washington.
“It depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement,” Trump said. “The answer is highly unlikely [that] it’s going to be necessary… I would if necessary, but we hit them really hard.”
Trump noted that he would prefer not to strike infrastructure, predicting that it could take Tehran up to 10 years to rebuild destroyed bridges.
“I don’t like ripping down bridges. And the hardest thing to build is a bridge. It takes years, and I’m a good builder,” he added.
US military continues to reinforce presence in the Middle East
At the same time, the US military continued to bolster its presence in the region. According to reports, the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and its carrier strike group departed Singapore after a several-day stay and are now heading toward the US Central Command area of responsibility, where they are expected to arrive within several days.
Separately, the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island departed Japan over the weekend and is also heading toward the Middle East.
Goldie Katz contributed to this report.