U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Thursday that Washington and Israel are not aligned in their objectives in the war on Iran, with Israel targeting Iranian leadership while President Donald Trump focuses on dismantling Tehran’s missile capabilities and navy.
"The objectives that have been laid out by the president are different from the objectives that have been laid out by the Israeli government," Gabbard told the House intelligence committee's annual hearing on worldwide threats to the United States.
"We can see through the operations that the Israeli government has been focused on disabling the Iranian leadership. The president has stated that his objectives are to destroy Iran's ballistic missiles launching capability, their ballistic missile production capability, and their navy," she said.
The U.S. and Israel have repeatedly sought to highlight their close coordination in their joint air assault on Iran, but officials on both sides have acknowledged that their objectives were not the same.
As the conflict neared the three-week mark, Israel has led strikes that have killed Iranian clerics and military leaders, while the U.S. has been focused on striking sites related to the country's missile program.
