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In the days just before Israel let loose with its massive attack on Iran, on its nuclear facilities, including the major uranium enrichment plant at Natanz, its ballistic missile and drone factories, its senior generals including the head of the IRGC, and its leading nuclear scientists — the fatidic date chosen for the attack in June was early in the morning of Friday the Thirteenth — the Jewish state lulled the Iranians into thinking there would be no attack just now, that Israel was willing to wait to see how the U.S.-Iran negotiations, that were to be resumed on June 15, turned out.
More on how Israel fooled the Iranians into believing no attack was imminent can be found here: “Vacation ruse, phantom trip, hostage decoy: How Israel misled Tehran before Iran strike – source,” by Zvika Klein, Jerusalem Post, June 13, 2025:
Israel deliberately labeled Thursday night’s security-cabinet meeting as a discussion on hostage negotiations in order to lull Tehran and green-light the pre-dawn strike inside Iran, a senior Israeli source told The Jerusalem Post on Friday. According to the official, ministers were briefed in advance that the agenda would focus on the stalled talks for the release of Israelis held in Gaza. “The aim was to put Iran to sleep,” the source said.
The security-cabinet meeting was presented to the world — including Iran, of course — as a discussion about the progress of hostage negotiations. But it was all along meant to be a vote on the planned attack on Iran.
Once inside the secure forum, the cabinet unanimously approved the military operation and every minister signed a strict non-disclosure agreement, known as a Shomer Sod (“guardian of the secret”) document. Only a handful of officials—including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Mossad director David (Dedi) Barnea and senior defense chiefs—were read into the full plan. False signals from PMO
In the days leading up to the strike, the Prime Minister’s Office orchestrated a series of false signals:
- Vacation ruse: Netanyahu’s aides briefed reporters that he was planning a family holiday in the Galilee and would be attending his son Avner’s wedding next Tuesday, reinforcing the impression that no major military action was imminent.
- Washington decoy: The PMO issued a statement claiming that Dermer and Barnea would fly to Washington on Friday to meet US envoy Steve Witkoff for a “sixth round” of Iran-US nuclear talks in Oman— talks that do not exist. Both men remained in Israel.
- Leak strategy: For the first time, Netanyahu’s office declined to deny fabricated quotes describing a dispute between the prime minister and former US president Donald Trump over a potential strike, creating the sense of a diplomatic rift and further lowering Iranian alert levels.
Supposedly, then, the prime minister would be out of Jerusalem, on a few days of holiday in the Galilee, and then next Tuesday would attend his son Avner’s wedding. Netanyahu did not leave Jerusalem. The Prime Minister’s Office also announced to the world that his close aides, Ron Dermer and Mossad Chief David Barnea, were going to Washington on Friday to discuss with Steve Witkoff the next round of US-Iran negotiations. They never left Jerusalem; the day that meeting with Witkoff was supposed to take place, they were still in Israel’s capital as 200 Israeli fighter jets were already in the skies over Iran, wreaking havoc.
It was also important to suggest that Netanyahu and Trump were still arguing over the wisdom of an Israeli strike on Iran, which was achieved by feeding made-up quotes purporting to show the growing rift between the two leaders to Netanyahu, quotes he would then not deny, giving them credence. Again, the leaders in Tehran would naturally have assumed that Netanyahu’s supposed rift with Trump meant that the Americans would have threatened Israel not to attack Iran as long as the negotiations were continuing.
The Americans were fully apprised of Israel’s deception, not just about where the prime minister and two of his most important advisers would be in the next few days, but they also learned about the Israeli government ‘s feigned danger of collapsing because the Haredi draft law would cause the Haredis to withdraw their support for Netanyahu. A government in a state of collapse, Iran would no doubt conclude, would be so distracted that it would be in no condition to launch an attack.
In a famous hadith, Muhammad declares that “war is deception.” Sauce for the goose….
