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June 2025: How America Joined Israel's War, Day by Day

On June 13, 2025, Israel attacked Iran. It called the operation "Rising Lion." On that first night, the U.S. Secretary of State said America was "not involved." Nine days later, on June 22, American B-2 bombers dropped 30,000-pound bunker-busters on Iran's buried nuclear site at Fordow and struck Natanz and Isfahan. What happened in between?

Israel's own press answers the question. The Jerusalem Post, Israel's oldest English-language daily, reported on the day of the American strikes that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his aide Ron Dermer "worked tirelessly, spoke with everyone, and in the end succeeded in convincing the US administration to get involved." This page follows those nine days in order.

Two terms first. A green light is permission to attack. A bunker-buster here means the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, a bomb only the United States has, carried only by American B-2 bombers.

Before June 13: the weapons were already sent​

In February 2025, the Washington Post's John Hudson noted a U.S. arms approval for Israel that included "guidance kits of the BLU-109, a hardened bunker buster penetration bomb that Israel would likely use if it decided to strike Iran's nuclear sites," plus Hellfire missiles, "2,800 MK 82 500-pound bombs and more than two thousand small diameter bombs" (Hudson on X, February 7, 2025). On June 13 he wrote: "such an attack would not have been possible without years of U.S. taxpayer-funded support" (Hudson on X, June 13, 2025).

June 12: "won't participate"​

Axios reported: "Scoop: U.S. told Israel it won't participate in an Israeli strike on Iran" (Axios on X, June 12, 2025).

June 13: "unilateral," and "a clear US green light"​

That night, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement the White House posted: "Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense" (White House on X, June 13, 2025). U.S. officials told Reuters the same: the U.S. "is not involved in attacks on Iran and is not assisting it" (War Monitor on X relaying Reuters, June 13, 2025).

Israeli officials told a different story the same day. Axios reporters Barak Ravid and David Lawler wrote: "Israeli officials briefed that this was all coordinated w/Washington. Two Israeli officials claimed that Trump & his aides were only pretending to oppose an Israeli attack in public. 'We had a clear US green light,' one said" (as quoted by Shalom Lipner on X; Axios, June 13, 2025). The OSINT account OSINTdefender summarized the same report: Netanyahu's aides "purposefully given false information to reporters, claiming that President Trump had tried to talk Israel down from an attack on Monday, when in reality the two leaders actually discussed coordination" (OSINTdefender on X, June 13, 2025).

Trump himself, asked by a Wall Street Journal reporter whether he got a "heads up," answered: "Heads-up? It wasn't a heads-up. It was, we know what's going on" (as quoted by PSL on X, June 13, 2025).

June 14: Israel asks America to join​

Israel's i24NEWS: "Senior Israeli officials spoke with members of the Trump administration, asking them to join an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. 'We hope it will happen eventually,' an Israeli official told i24NEWS." Israel's Channel 14 added that "a senior Israeli official estimates the U.S. will soon join the active campaign, including offensive operations" (GeoInsider on X, June 14, 2025). Conflict Radar ran the Axios headline: "Israel urges U.S. to 'join' war with Iran" (Conflict Radar on X, June 14, 2025).

June 16: the specific request, Fordow​

Axios, citing two Israeli officials, reported that Israel had asked the White House to take part because Israel lacks the bunker-busting bombs and bombers needed for Fordow, and that "if Fordow remains operational after the operation ends," Israel's mission "will have failed." An Israeli official said Trump had indicated on a call with Netanyahu he would consider joining "if necessary"; the White House denied that. And: "A second American official confirmed that Israel had requested US involvement but said the Trump administration is not considering it" (Global Village Space summarizing Axios, June 16, 2025). That same day AIPAC posted "Israel's actions make America safer!" and was calling House Democrats to say they "stand with Israel" (see AIPAC's June 2025 campaign).

In the same week, Israel's ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter, called it "the war to end wars" and promised "surprises on Thursday night and Friday" (as quoted in the Daily Mail, relayed by Owen Gregorian on X, June 18, 2025).

June 16 to 17: the official denials​

A White House deputy assistant said: "Reports of the US attacking in Iran are not true. American forces are maintaining their defensive posture" (@amitisinvesting on X, June 17, 2025). Journalist Yashar Ali: "The Pentagon and White House are aggressively denying that the United States is taking direct military action in Iranian territory" (Yashar Ali on X, June 17, 2025). A U.S. official told ABC News the U.S. "is not considering joining the war" (OSINTdefender on X, June 15, 2025). Five days later the bombs fell. Set these denials next to what followed.

Behind the scenes, according to an anonymous administration official quoted by The Grayzone on June 21, Israeli intelligence briefings were reaching the President through CIA Director John Ratcliffe and CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael Kurilla, and the Israeli briefers pressed hardest for killing Iran's Supreme Leader (see Israeli intelligence fed to the President). Three U.S. officials told CBS that Trump had turned down an Israeli plan to kill Khamenei; Netanyahu, asked on Fox News, said only: "There's so many false reports of conversations that never happened and I'm not going to get into that" (@JosetteCaruso_ on X, June 18, 2025, quoting CBS).

Camp David: "I think we might have to help him"​

According to the New York Times, as relayed by the Daily Mail, Trump at Camp David "admitted: 'I think we might have to help him,'" and weighed three options: intelligence and refueling for Israeli jets, joint strikes, or a U.S.-led campaign with B-1 and B-2 bombers, carriers, and "cruise missiles launched from submarines." Trump posted that Iran's Supreme Leader was "an easy target" and "We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now" (Owen Gregorian on X, June 18, 2025). On June 17, Axios reported Trump considering a strike on Fordow, with Vice President JD Vance and envoy Steve Witkoff favoring diplomacy (Monaco Macro on X citing Axios, June 17, 2025).

On June 20, Netanyahu told Israel's public broadcaster Kan: "I said that we're changing the face of the Middle East, and now I say we're changing the face of the world" (AFP via Malay Mail, June 20, 2025).

June 21 to 22: the strikes, and the Israeli account of how they came about​

Seven B-2s dropped 14 GBU-57s. Barak Ravid reported: "An Israeli official told me Israel was notified by the Trump administration in advance of the U.S. strike in Iran" (Ravid on X, June 21, 2025). A senior Israeli official: "The United States informed Israel in advance about the strike in Iran, and it was carried out in coordination" (@EretzIsrael on X, June 22, 2025). That morning Rubio said: "There are no planned military operations right now against Iran unless they mess around" (State Department on X, June 22, 2025).

And then the Jerusalem Post's diplomatic correspondent Amichai Stein published the inside story:

"Trump only planned to bomb the enrichment facility in Fordow." ... "Netanyahu and Dermer managed to convince Trump also to target the Isfahan facility 'to finish the job.'" ... "Netanyahu and Dermer worked tirelessly, spoke with everyone, and in the end succeeded in convincing the US administration to get involved."

The report says the two leaders "spoke almost daily," and that four days before the strike Trump told Netanyahu by phone, "I've decided to launch a strike" (Jerusalem Post, June 22, 2025, "How Benjamin Netanyahu convinced Donald Trump to strike Iran").

What the nine days show​

  • On day one, America said it was not involved. Israeli officials said America had given a green light.
  • On days two through four, Israel asked America to join, specifically to use the bombs only America has.
  • American officials denied, and denied again.
  • On day nine, America bombed, and the Israeli press credited Netanyahu and Dermer with convincing Trump, and with widening the target list.

The damage the strikes did, and the dispute over whether the sites were "obliterated," is covered in the twelve-day war section.

ClaimRating
U.S. officials publicly denied involvement on June 13 and afterCONFIRMED
Israeli officials said the U.S. gave a "clear green light"CONFIRMED that they said it
Israel asked the U.S. to join, and a U.S. official confirmed the requestSTRONG
Netanyahu and Dermer convinced Trump to join and to add Isfahan (Jerusalem Post)STRONG

Status: Benjamin Netanyahu, Ron Dermer, Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, Yechiel Leiter, JD Vance, Steve Witkoff, John Ratcliffe, Michael Kurilla, Barak Ravid, David Lawler, Amichai Stein, and John Hudson are alive.

Sources​

Last Updated: 2026-09-26

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