Netanyahu denies report Trump blocked Iran strike

(Oct. 22, 2026 / JNS)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday denied a Financial Times report that the Jewish state recently planned to attack Iran but was stopped by U.S. President Donald Trump.

“This report is not true,” Netanyahu said in an interview with Israel National News. The premier declined to elaborate further.

The British newspaper on Wednesday cited three sources familiar with the plans as saying that the Israel Defense Forces had prepared for a days-long campaign of intensive strikes on Iranian targets during the weekend of Oct. 10.

The planned operation reportedly included attacks on nuclear facilities, power plants and other infrastructure.

According to the newspaper, the offensive did not go ahead because Trump opposed resuming hostilities before the U.S. midterm elections on Nov. 3. One source said Israel and the United States could still resume military operations in the coming weeks.

In the INN interview, Netanyahu said he had instructed the IDF and the Mossad to bring down the Iranian regime. He said Iran and its “axis of evil” were “weaker than ever.”

He warned that Tehran is still working to obtain nuclear weapons despite the damage done to its nuclear sites.