Israel’s defense establishment has raised its level of alert in recent days amid concerns that Donald Trump may have decided to carry out a military strike against Iran, possibly within days, according to Israeli security officials.

Officials said that while there have been no public signals from Washington indicating such a decision, Israel is taking the possibility seriously and is preparing both the home front and military forces for a range of scenarios. At the same time, the IDF cautioned that uncertainty remains high.

Senior military officials said they recognize that Trump’s decision-making can be unpredictable and that even if he opts to authorize an attack, he could reverse course at the last moment.

Security officials said cooperation with U.S. counterparts remains close. They added that Israel does not rule out a scenario in which the Israel Air Force would strike targets in Iran in response to missile fire directed at Israel. Defense officials increasingly assess that if the United States launches a strike on Iran, Tehran’s leadership would weigh whether and how to respond, including the possibility of drawing Israel into the confrontation through missile launches.

However, senior IDF officials stressed that there is no certainty Iran would choose Israel as its initial target. According to their assessment, the likelihood of Iran escalating and directly involving Israel would increase only if a U.S. attack were prolonged or if Iranian leaders perceived a serious threat to the regime’s stability.

In light of these assessments, the IDF and emergency agencies are preparing for the possibility of missile fire toward Israel. Since the start of the war, Israel has deployed its air defense systems extensively, and alert levels have been raised in recent days. These preparations come amid potential threats from multiple arenas, including Yemen and Lebanon. Defense officials said they are seeking to balance preparedness with efforts to avoid unnecessarily alarming the public.

The military is also preparing for the possibility that Iran could attempt to pressure Israel along the Lebanese border through Hezbollah. According to Israeli intelligence assessments, Hezbollah has so far refrained from military action against Israel, and no indications have been identified that it is preparing to enter a broad conflict.

Defense officials said it is more likely that the Iran-backed Houthis would join any escalation. They said that the longer a U.S. attack lasts and the higher the cost to Iran, the greater the chances that the Houthis would increase their involvement, including resuming missile launches toward Israel or targeting regional shipping lanes.

Israeli officials emphasized that assessments remain fluid and that no definitive conclusions have been reached about the likelihood or timing of any U.S. military action.

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