IDF intelligence chief Maj.-Gen. Shlomi Binder met with top US military officials on Tuesday as the US aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, arrived in the region.
Members of the National Guard walk near the White House on the National Mall, in Washington, DC, US, August 21, 2025(photo credit: REUTERS/Al Drago)ByYONAH JEREMY BOB
JANUARY 29, 2026 18:12Updated: JANUARY 29, 2026 22:03
IDF Intelligence chief Maj.-Gen. Shlomi Binder and Mossad Director David Barnea both recently visited the US to present a one-two punch for advice about how to handle Iran.
Barnea landed in the US on January 16 and met with US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and held other critical national security meetings, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
His visit came almost immediately after the critical call between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump on January 14 in which, according to foreign sources, Netanyahu urged Trump to delay attacking Iran until more American forces were deployed in the region – both for offensive operations and for defending Israel.
The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, is shown at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, California, US August 11, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/Mike Blake)
Sharing intelligence on potential Iran targets
According to foreign sources, Israeli officials came to share intelligence about potential targets across Iran, while the Saudis are trying to offer a diplomatic solution.
The IDF’s focus tends to be from the perspective of what American aerial power can achieve against a wide array of Iranian military targets and a variety of macro issues related to the regime’s sources of power.
The Mossad’s expertise tends to be related to the nuclear issue and providing support and analysis relating to the Iranian street and the balance of power between the regime and opposition forces.
In June 2025, Israel killed about 30 top Iranian military and intelligence officials and 11 nuclear scientists.
After that, Barnea issued a rare public warning to the Iranian regime, saying: “We will [continue to] be there, like we have been there.”
Reports indicate US President Trump is considering a range of strike options against Iran, from targeted attacks on regime figures to broader strikes on missile and nuclear sites.
i24NEWS
January 29, 2026 at 01:16 AM ■ latest revision January 29, 2026 at 01:26 AM
Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One after leaving the World Economic Forum in Davos for Washington, January 22, 2026 AP Photo/Evan Vucci
U.S. President Donald Trump is weighing a range of military options against Iran, including targeted strikes on regime figures and security forces, as Washington considers how to respond to Tehran’s violent crackdown on nationwide protests, Reuters reported Tuesday.
According to two U.S. officials familiar with the discussions, Trump has explored limited attacks aimed at figures and institutions blamed for suppressing demonstrators, with the goal of emboldening Iranians to resume protests and challenge the Islamic Republic’s grip on power.
The officials said the administration believes such strikes could create conditions for internal pressure on the regime.
More expansive military options have also been discussed, including strikes designed to have a longer-term strategic impact.
These could target Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities, some of which can reach U.S. allies in the Middle East, or key components of its nuclear enrichment program. However, the sources emphasized that no final decision has been made and that Trump has not yet committed to military action.
Israeli and Arab officials briefed on the discussions expressed skepticism that air power alone could achieve regime change in Iran. A senior Israeli official told Reuters that while strikes could degrade Iran’s military capabilities, they are unlikely by themselves to bring down the Islamic Republic.
Tehran, meanwhile, is bracing for escalation. A senior Iranian official said that Iran is preparing for the possibility of military confrontation while continuing to pursue diplomatic channels. The official claimed Washington has shown little interest in diplomacy at this stage.
According to regional sources, Khamenei has limited public appearances and relocated to secure sites, while greater operational authority has shifted to figures linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including senior adviser Ali Larijani.
Separately, i24NEWS Hebrew channel reported that the U.S. military is struggling to develop a clear operational plan capable of triggering the collapse of Iran’s ruling system.
Trump warns: ‘time is running out’ as massive US armada heads to region
American sources cited by the network said Trump favors a swift, high-impact operation similar to last June’s B-2 bomber strike on Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility, following the failure of talks aimed at limiting Tehran’s nuclear and missile programs.
Arab officials and Western diplomats briefed on the deliberations warned that military action could backfire. They expressed concern that strikes might further destabilize Iran’s protest movement, which has already been severely weakened by the deadliest repression since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, rather than galvanize public resistance against the regime.
For now, U.S. officials say Trump continues to review his options as tensions with Tehran escalate and uncertainty grows over the next phase of the standoff.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on January 4, 2026. (Maayan Toaf/GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding a security consultation in Jerusalem with top advisers and defense officials on a “classified topic,” the office of one of the attendees tells The Times of Israel.
According to Channel 12, the discussion is focusing on Iran and the possibility of a US strike.
Israeli officials do not believe that a limited strike will bring down the regime, and that US President Donald Trump shares their assessment, according to the outlet. Therefore, they assess that Trump will focus a potential attack on physical assets, especially the nuclear and missile programs.
Even in the case of a limited strike, the channel reports, Israel believes that there will be a significant Iranian attack on Israel, to which Jerusalem will respond in force.
Israel also has identified massive pressure from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar and Oman on the White House to allow them to mediate between Washington and Tehran to find a diplomatic solution, says Channel 12.
A directive from Trump on a potential strike on Iran is expected in the coming days, once all of the US military assets heading to the region are in place, a senior US official tells Channel 12.
