Israel’s airstrikes on roughly 30 Iranian fuel depots Saturday went far beyond what U.S. officials expected after Israel notified Washington in advance, according to a U.S. and Israeli official, cited by Axios.
The officials said the Israel Defense Forces notified the U.S. military ahead of the operation, but a U.S. official said the scale of the strikes caught Washington off guard.
“We don’t think it was a good idea,” a senior U.S. official said. An Israeli official said the U.S. reaction was blunt, describing the message from Washington as “WTF.”
“The president doesn’t like the attack. He wants to save the oil. He doesn’t want to burn it. And it reminds people of higher gas prices,” a Trump adviser told Axios.
The IDF said the depots were used by the Iranian regime to supply fuel to various consumers, including military units. An Israeli military official said the operation was also intended as a warning for Iran to stop targeting Israeli civilian infrastructure.
A U.S. official said the disagreement is expected to be addressed at senior political levels between Washington and Jerusalem as the conflict continues.
