Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was holding a security consultation in Jerusalem with top advisers and defense officials on a “classified topic,” the office of one of the attendees told The Times of Israel on Thursday, as speculation continued to swirl over whether the US will attack Iran.

According to Channel 12, the discussion was focused on Iran and the possibility of an American strike, which US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened.

The meeting comes amid a flurry of threats, discussions and diplomatic activity in Jerusalem, Washington, Moscow and Tehran surrounding the possibility, and possible fallout, of a US strike on Iran. Iran is prepared to show its naval force next week after the US moved what Trump called a “massive armada” into the region.

Trump has threatened to attack over Iran’s deadly crackdown on mass anti-regime protests this month. Rights groups have verified thousands of deaths, but estimates of the total number of people killed range into the tens of thousands. Trump has also more recently threatened Iran with strikes unless it agrees to a deal halting its nuclear program.

A potential directive from Trump on a strike is expected in the coming days, once all of the US military assets heading to the Middle East are in place, a senior US official told Channel 12 on Thursday. Iran has repeatedly threatened to strike US targets and Israel if the US attacks.

Trump’s goal in the strike and how he hopes to achieve it remain unclear, though he is reported to want to create conditions for “regime change.” Israeli officials do not believe that a limited US strike will bring down the Iranian regime, and Trump shares their assessment, according to Channel 12. Therefore, they assessed that Trump will focus a potential attack on physical Iranian assets, especially its nuclear and missile programs.

The channel reported that Israel believes even a limited US strike would spur a significant Iranian attack on Israel, to which Jerusalem would respond forcefully.

On Thursday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US military would be prepared to carry out whatever Trump decides on Iran to ensure Tehran does not pursue nuclear weapons capability.

“They should not pursue nuclear capabilities. We will be prepared to........

© The Times of Israel