Maariv report: US urged Israel to strike Iran alone before midterms; US and Israeli officials deny
Israeli daily Maariv reported that Washington pressed Israel to carry out a solo strike on Iran before the US midterms so Trump would avoid the political risk. Two US officials and an Israeli official denied it, according to Axios.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Sources told the Israeli newspaper Maariv, in a report published on Saturday 10 October, that the United States pressed Israel over the past two weeks to carry out a solo strike operation against Iran. The Jerusalem PostRC “The United States pressed Israel to carry out a solo strike operation against Iran during discussions between the two countries over the past two weeks, sources told Maariv in a report published on Saturday.” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗ Raw StoryL “Citing a report from the Hebrew-language Israeli newspaper Maariv” Read at Raw Story ↗ Right · 1According to the report, Washington wanted Israel, rather than President Donald Trump, to take on the political risks of a military operation ahead of the US midterm elections. The Jerusalem PostRC “Washington wanted Israel to assume the political risks of a military operation ahead of the US midterm elections, rather than US President Donald Trump.” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗ Right · 1American officials reportedly believed Israel would want to strike Iran before its own elections, while a US operation before the midterms could have negative political consequences for Trump. The Jerusalem PostRC “American officials reportedly believed Israel would be interested in striking Iran before its own elections” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗
Right · 1The Jerusalem Post, relaying Maariv, said the initial American proposal effectively amounted to Trump directing Israel to strike Iran before the elections. The Jerusalem PostRC “the initial American proposal effectively amounted to Trump directing Israel to strike Iran before the elections.” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗ Right · 1The sources said the US has since backed down from the demand, at least for now, and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's position remains unclear; his schedule was described as "very security-focused" with several "sensitive" meetings and visits. The Jerusalem PostRC “Netanyahu's schedule was described as "very security-focused,"”“The US has since backed down from its demand, at least for now, the sources told Maariv.” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗ Left · 1Raw Story reported that two US officials and an Israeli official denied the report, according to Axios's Barak Ravid; the Jerusalem Post article does not mention a denial. Raw StoryL “Two U.S. officials and an Israeli official denied the report, according to Axios’ Barak Ravid.” Read at Raw Story ↗
Left · 1Raw Story placed the report against Trump's low approval ratings, which it attributed largely to the war with Iran and elevated fuel prices, and noted that Trump has recently threatened to resume strikes, saying on Friday he might "finish it off" if Iran refused a deal. Raw StoryL “Trump has ramped up threats to resume strikes on Iran in recent weeks, including as recently as Friday during a rally in New York, warning that he may opt to “finish it off” if Iran refused to accept a deal.” Read at Raw Story ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- Presents the report as explosive and political, tied to Trump's unpopular Iran war and fuel prices, while noting official denials.
- Emphasis
- Trump's falling approval, fuel prices, denials from US and Israeli officials.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not give the Netanyahu detail or the claim that the US has backed down beyond a brief mention.
- Charged language
- “explosive report”“deeply unpopular war”
- For example
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“Trump’s approval among Americans has plummeted to career lows in large part due to his deeply unpopular war against Iran” — Raw Story
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- Straightforward relay of Maariv's sourced report, centred on the US request and Netanyahu's unclear stance.
- Emphasis
- The US pressing Israel, the US backing down, Netanyahu's security-focused schedule.
- Leaves out or plays down
- No mention of the denials by US and Israeli officials reported by Axios, nor of the domestic context of fuel prices.
- For example
-
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's position on the matter remains unclear, the sources added.” — The Jerusalem Post
What every side reports
- Maariv reported on 10 October that the US pressed Israel to strike Iran alone, citing unnamed sources.
- The report says the aim was to spare Trump political fallout before the US midterms.
- The report says the US has backed down from the demand, at least for now.
Where accounts differ
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Whether the report is accurate
- Left
- Raw Story calls it an "explosive report" but stresses that two US officials and an Israeli official denied it.
- Right
- The Jerusalem Post relays Maariv's sources without mentioning any denial and notes Netanyahu's position is unclear.
Benjamin Netanyahu person
His stance is described by Maariv's sources as unclear; his schedule was reported as very security-focused.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's position on the matter remains unclear” — The Jerusalem Post
Left1 article
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Explosive report alleges US pressured ally to bomb Iran to protect Trump ahead of midterms
Critical Recasts the Jerusalem Post/Maariv report as explosive and ties it to Trump's unpopular war, but includes the officials' denials.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right1 article
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US pushed Israel to attack Iran alone in effort to avoid political fallout before midterms - report
Neutral Short relay of Maariv's anonymously sourced report with no denial or independent confirmation.
- 10 Oct 14:24 First The Jerusalem PostRC US pushed Israel to attack Iran alone in effort to avoid political fallout before midterms - report
- 10 Oct 21:18 +6h 54m Raw StoryL Explosive report alleges US pressured ally to bomb Iran to protect Trump ahead of midterms
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.