Israeli leader recounts high‑level meetings with US officials about potential 2012 attack on Iran

Israeli leader recounts high‑level meetings with US officials about potential 2012 attack on Iran The passage describes direct contacts between an Israeli official and top US officials (Panetta, Donilon, Clinton, Obama) discussing a possible military strike on Iran and a delay of an Israeli exercise. It provides specific names, dates (October 2012), and a concrete scenario that could be investigated for coordination, but the claim is unverified and lacks documentary evidence, lowering its score. The controversy is high, involving potential US complicity in a pre‑emptive strike, and the actors are senior, giving it strong investigative value. Key insights: Israeli official claims to have met with Leon Panetta (then Defense Secretary), Tom Donilon (NSC), Hillary Clinton (Secretary of State), and President Obama about a possible attack on Iran.; Discussion of delaying an Israeli military exercise until October 2012 to allow US troops to withdraw from the region.; Panetta allegedly understood that a US‑Israeli strike would benefit US interests by keeping US troops away from Israel.