New details have emerged about Israeli-American cooperation before the war began — and during it. After the operation Rising Lion last year, the IDF launched an internal review. The U.S. military conducted a similar process. Around November, officials from both militaries met after completing their respective reviews.
At that meeting, they reached a key understanding: from Iran’s perspective, if either side attacked it, Iran would strike both. That realization led to the initial conclusion that joint Israeli-American action — not only in defense but also offensively — would serve as a force multiplier.
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US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their meeting at the White House
(Photo: Avi Ohayon)
Professional-level meetings followed. During the IDF chief of staff’s visit to the United States at the end of January, cooperation between the IDF and the Americans was further strengthened. Both sides prepared a plan aimed at ensuring that the enemy would not know what was coming from where or who was attacking. IDF officials refer to this as “war in English.”
Coordination cells now operate in Israel and the United States, where intelligence and targets are synchronized — a highly intimate and unusual level of cooperation. The teams sit together, analyze targets and decide who will strike what based on relative advantages.
The first division of responsibilities is geographic. For example, regarding surface-to-surface missile threats, the IDF primarily strikes in western and central Iran, while the Americans are responsible for strikes in the south of the country. Incidentally, the missiles launched at U.S. bases are not the same ones fired at Israel, but shorter-range missiles with ranges of about 300 to 400 kilometers (roughly 185 to 250 miles).
The next division is thematic, emphasizing each military’s comparative advantage. The Americans, for example, are the only ones striking the Iranian navy. In addition, both sides assess when they can assist each other in attacking targets, such as through aerial refueling aircraft.
The Americans have dozens of tanker aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport, including tankers that arrived all the way from the United States. The British have granted the Americans permission to take off from British bases, making it possible to launch bombing sorties from locations closer to the theater.
Across all levels, there are more than 4,000 conversations a day among the various parties as part of cooperation with the Americans. At times, this includes direct communication between aircraft in the air.
Over the past 24 hours, discussions have also focused on whether Gulf states may enter the campaign in an active role. In that context, IDF officials said that not everyone who is struck is necessarily motivated to respond with an attack. Some Gulf states are already operating actively, and this trend appears likely to grow. Their main challenge stems from difficulty intercepting drones.
Regarding future objectives, the IDF says there is an orderly plan to shift to a set of military targets belonging to the regime — numbering in the thousands. Carrying this out requires American participation. As a result, the next two weeks are expected to involve systematic attrition of regime and military targets throughout Iran.
Footage of the strikes in Iran
As for neighboring countries, Cyprus is highly concerned about the drone that struck its territory. Cypriot officials requested certain assistance from the IDF, which is helping where it can. The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which is on its way to the region, will likely focus on defensive missions.
IDF officials said regional states are currently transitioning from the “shock” of the attacks against them to an understanding that they may be required to take offensive action.
At this stage, the IDF says there are no constraints on resources or time, and no U.S. restrictions of the kind that existed in the past. The objective is clear and both sides want to achieve it together. “So far it’s going very well,” IDF officials said.