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2019: "At the Behest of the Israeli Government"

Evidence rating: MODERATE that the Israeli government pressed for the 2019 US troop increase against Iran: the Wall Street Journal reported it, relayed by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and the administration denied the reports on the record at the time. CONFIRMED that the New York Times reported a 2019 Pentagon plan for up to 120,000 troops for a war with Iran, prepared at the request of national security adviser John Bolton.

Seven years before the bombing of 2026, the same question was already in the news: who was asking for more American soldiers near Iran?

May 2019: the 120,000-troop plan​

On 13 May 2019, the New York Times reported: "White House reviews military plans against Iran -- including sending as many as 120,000 troops to the Middle East -- in echoes of Iraq war." As quoted by reporter Borzou Daragahi, the plan was presented at the request of John Bolton: "Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan presented an updated military plan that envisions sending as many as 120,000 troops to the Middle East should Iran attack American forces or accelerate work on nuclear weapons" (Borzou Daragahi on X, 14 May 2019; New York Times).

Former intelligence officer Malcolm Nance answered the same day: "Any war with Iran would require 500,000 troops and the return to the draft. 5 million Sunnah Iraqis with 80k part time terrorists killed 4,800 svcmen/women. 85 million Iranians with a million man full time army + 10ks of EFP IEDs is just insanity" (Malcolm Nance on X). That post, liked nearly 7,000 times, is the earliest "half a million plus a draft" line in this investigation's research.

December 2019: "in part at the behest of the Israeli government"​

On 6 December 2019, the Canadian Jewish News, republishing the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, reported that Israel played a role in President Trump's reported plans to send an additional 14,000 US troops to the Middle East to counter Iran:

"On Wednesday, the Journal reported that the increase came in part at the behest of the Israeli government."

"The Journal" is the Wall Street Journal; "at the behest of" means at the request of. The item said aides to the president also reportedly pushed for the increase, and noted that top Israeli officials had been "unnerved" in September when Trump pulled most US troops out of Syria (Canadian Jewish News, 6 December 2019; article page). The administration denied the reports on the record.

The pattern it fits​

  • 2017: Michael Herzog, later Israel's ambassador in Washington, urged the United States to keep its troops in Syria to block Iran rather than withdraw them after ISIS (American troops as a regional shield).
  • 2019: Israel pressed for 14,000 more US troops against Iran, per the Wall Street Journal; Israeli officials were "unnerved" by a US withdrawal from Syria.
  • October 2024: Israel's N12 reported that, for the first time, American soldiers would operate ballistic-missile interceptor batteries (THAAD) inside Israel.
  • June 2025: Israel urged the US to join strikes on Fordow and, per Axios, said it might "do it with humans" if bombs could not reach (Did Israel Ask?).
  • March 2026: senior Israeli officials told Channel 12 Israel would propose building US military bases on Israeli soil, the same weekend Channel 12 reported Israeli infantry would not join a US ground operation in Iran.

Each step puts more American soldiers between Iran and Israel. None puts Israeli infantry on Iranian ground.

Status: John Bolton is alive. Patrick Shanahan is alive. Malcolm Nance is alive. Borzou Daragahi is alive. Donald Trump is alive.

Sources​

Last Updated: 2026-09-26

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