Israel told the United States that the recent Iranian missile drills may conceal preparations for a potential strike, Axios said on Sunday, one day after Iran International reported unusual Iranian air activity spotted by Western intelligence agencies.
Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir raised the issue directly with Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, warning that recent missile movements could serve as a cover for a surprise operation against the Jewish state.
The warning follows Iran International's report on Saturday which said Western intelligence agencies had identified unusual movements involving the Revolutionary Guard's Aerospace Force, including activity by missile, drone, and air-defence units beyond established patterns.
The developments could be linked to military exercises, Western officials with knowledge of the matter told Iran International but added that the scale and synchronization had drawn closer scrutiny.
Axios reported that Israeli intelligence assessed the movements as taking place within Iran’s borders but said Israel’s military risk tolerance has dropped significantly since Hamas’s surprise attack in October 2023.
"The chances for an Iranian attack are less than 50%, but nobody is willing to take the risk and just say it is only an exercise," the report said citing an Israeli source.
An American source, however, told Axios that the US intelligence currently sees no indication of an imminent Iranian attack.
In his conversation with the CENTCOM chief, Zamir urged closer coordination between Israeli and US forces on defensive preparations.
The phone call was followed by Cooper's visit to Tel Aviv on Sunday, where he met Zamir and top Israeli military officials to discuss the situation.
In June, Israel carried out airstrikes and covert operations against Iranian military and nuclear sites, killing more than 1,000 people including senior officials and nuclear scientists.
Iran retaliated by launching hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel, killing at least 33 people, among them an off-duty soldier.
The United States helped Israel intercept Iranian attacks and later joined the Israeli campaign, bombing three Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22.
Axios said that Israeli intelligence and the Mossad do not believe Iran’s current pace of rebuilding missile capabilities creates an immediate need for military action in the next two to three months, but warned the issue could become more urgent later next year.
Meanwhile, NBC News reported that Israeli officials plan to brief President Donald Trump at the end of the month on options for potential future strikes against Iran, amid concerns that Tehran is rebuilding ballistic missile production facilities and repairing air defenses damaged during the June conflict.
