Israeli fighter jets were ready for takeoff. Hundreds of Iranian targets were programmed into their systems. Then a phone call changed everything.
On June 8, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israel Defense Forces to halt planned military strikes against Iran after a direct intervention from US President Donald Trump. The decision came at what appears to have been the last possible moment, with aircraft reportedly prepared to launch when the stand-down order arrived.
What happened and why it matters
Israel had prepared a large-scale operation targeting hundreds of sites inside Iran, a response to recent exchanges of fire between the two countries in early June. Netanyahu’s decision to pause came specifically after receiving a message relayed from Trump, making this the third known instance of a US president directly influencing Israeli military operations during the ongoing conflict.
Netanyahu framed the halt as conditional, not permanent. He publicly stated that Israel’s operations were on hold, but warned of strong retaliation if Iranian attacks were to resume.
