JERUSALEM – So far, Israel has remained on the sidelines of the mounting clashes between Iran and the United States over the past week. The question is whether that will last if the escalation worsens.

US President Donald Trump launched the war on Iran alongside Israel in late February, with the two militaries working more closely than ever before. But as the war dragged on, Trump increasingly parted ways with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on how to prosecute the campaign – and whether to continue it at all.

That divergence was evident in June, as Israel and Iran traded attacks for the first time since an April truce ended the fiercest fighting between the three countries. Trump called Netanyahu and told him to stop escalating Israel’s attacks, arguing that the United States was close to reaching a deal with Iran, according to multiple officials briefed on the call.

Bucking Israeli opposition, Trump ended up signing an agreement with Iran in June to stop fighting and negotiate a broader end to the conflict. But the ceasefire was short-lived, and the United States and Iran have since returned to an escalating cycle of strikes and counterstrikes.

Since that ceasefire, however, Iranian forces have not directly bombarded Israel, a move that would likely herald a return to full-blown war. Last week, Netanyahu said Israel was prepared to inflict massive damage against Iran if attacked.

“I will say this to the leaders of Iran: Do not count on it being quiet if you attack us,” he said at a conference in southern Israel, adding that Israel’s retaliation would be “much more powerful” than during the war earlier in 2026.