Israeli officials are increasingly confident that US President Donald Trump will determine whether to resume military operations against Iran once he returns from his visit to China at the end of the week, according to the Middle East Monitor.
According to Israeli sources cited by the London-based outlet, Trump is currently weighing two primary courses of action. The first is resuming direct military action — a step actively pushed for by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The second is reinstating a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz under the US military operation known as "Project Freedom." However, a third possibility remains on the table: that Trump returns from Beijing without making any decision at all, as reported by Israel's public broadcaster Kan.
Israeli sources told the newspaper Haaretz, as quoted by Middle East Monitor, that while no unusual military alert has been declared, the prospect of renewed hostilities in the coming days remains real. Netanyahu has held multiple rounds of consultations on the matter, underscoring the urgency with which Israeli leadership is approaching the issue.
Parallel diplomatic and military activity has been taking place behind the scenes. Senior Israeli military officials held discussions with high-ranking officers from the US Central Command over the past week, though no final decision has been reached by the American president on whether to restart the war, according to both Israeli and US sources cited in the report.
Among the scenarios under discussion is the possibility of US-ordered targeted strikes on Iranian infrastructure — specifically fuel and energy facilities — aimed at compelling Tehran to return to the negotiating table and abandon its nuclear weapons programme. Israel has already reportedly taken preparatory steps for such a contingency, particularly in anticipation of potential Iranian retaliatory missile strikes.
The developments come amid Trump's high-profile visit to China, during which he claimed that Chinese President Xi Jinping had personally assured him that Beijing would not supply military equipment to Iran, according to Middle East Monitor's reporting from 14 May 2026.