Israel has been almost entirely excluded from ongoing ceasefire negotiations between the US and Iran , according to a report by The New York Times citing Israeli and US officials.
The newspaper reported on Saturday, citing two unnamed Israeli security officials, that Israeli leaders had been denied information at the highest levels.
This has forced Tel Aviv to rely on conversations with regional leaders and diplomats, alongside carrying out reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering operations within the Iranian system, to understand the course of negotiations.
The report also cited US officials familiar with President Donald Trump’s strategy as saying he viewed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a wartime ally, but "not a close partner" when it came to negotiations with Iran.
The officials reportedly said Trump considered Netanyahu someone who "needs to be restrained" when it comes to resolving conflicts.
The report comes amid growing differences between Washington and Tel Aviv over how to handle Iran following months of regional escalation and conflict.
According to two Israeli officials cited by the newspaper, the US had previously approved an Israeli strike on oil facilities in Tehran and the nearby city of Karaj in March, but expected only a limited symbolic operation intended to demonstrate that Iran’s energy infrastructure could be targeted.
Instead, the officials said, Israel carried out a broader strike that produced "clouds of black smoke containing hazardous chemicals" over Tehran for several days.
The report also said Trump had withdrawn support on 7 March for an Israeli proposal to send Kurdish fighters into Iran from Iraq.
"I don’t want the Kurds to go in. I don’t want to see the Kurds hurt or killed," Trump reportedly said aboard Air Force One.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on 23 April, following Trump threats to resume war against Iran and bomb it "back to the Stone Age": "We are only waiting for the green light from the United States."
According to the report, Netanyahu reformulated Israel’s war aims during a speech on 12 March after it became apparent that Israel’s original objectives, overthrowing the Iranian government, dismantling its nuclear programme, and eliminating its missile arsenal, had not been achieved.
"The threats come and go, but when we become a regional power, and in certain areas a global power, we gain the ability to push dangers away from us and secure our future," Netanyahu said.
He reportedly described his alliance with Trump as "an alliance unlike any other".
The report said tensions had increasingly emerged between Washington and Tel Aviv over the extent and objectives of military operations against Iran.
While the Trump administration has reportedly prioritised negotiations and limiting regional escalation, Israel has continued pushing for wider military action targeting Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure.
US officials have reportedly expressed concerns in recent months that further escalation could drag the region into a broader war.