Some Israelis prefer to attack Iran, expressing the skepticism of the talks

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has listed the three main threats in which Israel is confronted with Israel as “Iran, Iran and Iran”. He has largely put his career on the protector of Israel against Iranian nuclear ambitions, has openly confronted Tehran in recent months and was at war with militias supported by Iran in the region.

Many Israelis were therefore surprised when President Trump, with Netanyahu, sitting next to him, announced on Monday that the United States would initiate “direct” negotiations with Iran on Saturday in a last effort to curb the country’s nuclear program.

Mr. Trump’s declaration was splashed on the first pages of the main newspapers in Israel on Tuesday morning. Over the day, experts weighed more and more, analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of unexpected development.

In the early evening in Israel, Mr. Netanyahu had published a video statement before his departure from Washington in which he greatly endeavored to underline his close alliance and his alignment with the Trump administration.

“We agree that Iran will have no nuclear weapons,” he said, adding that this could be obtained by diplomatic agreement. But a negotiated solution, he explained, should lead to the total destruction of the vast Iranian nuclear program, explode facilities and dismantle all the equipment, all carried out by the United States.

But if Iran led the talks, Netanyahu said the second option would be a military option. “Everyone understands it,” he said, adding, “we discussed it for a long time.”