File photo: This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows Iran's Natanz nuclear site. AP
The potential attack was included in an analytical assessment produced during the final days of the former Joe Biden administration and the beginning of Trump's presidency, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and the Washington Post (WP) reported, citing current and former US officials familiar with the intelligence.
The reports warned that Israel is likely to attempt a strike on Iran’s Fordow and Natanz nuclear facilities in the first six months of 2025, officials told WP.
They explained that the finding derives from an analysis of Israel’s planning following its bombing of Iran in late October.
Israel claims the October attack weakened Iran's air defences, but Tehran has denied this.
The WSJ also reported that Israel is expected to urge the current US administration to support the idea, looking to President Donald Trump as someone who could potentially join the strikes.
US military officials said that American military support and munitions may be necessary for any Israeli attack on Iran’s heavily fortified nuclear sites due to their complexity.
In November, Israeli Defence Minister Yisrael Katz stated: "Iran is more vulnerable than ever to strikes targeting its nuclear facilities. We have the opportunity to achieve our most important goal — thwarting and eliminating the existential threat to the State of Israel."
Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, though the country neither acknowledges nor denies the existence of a nuclear arsenal.
Tel Aviv is not a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and has not accepted IAEA safeguards on some of its principal nuclear activities.
Iran has maintained that its nuclear programme is designed to serve civilian purposes.
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