President Trump weighs major escalation in fighting with Iran after 10 consecutive nights of strikes.By World Israel News StaffPresident Donald Trump is expected to decide within the next few days whether to sharply expand US military operations against Iran, as the Pentagon repositions fighter jets and aerial-refueling aircraft for a possible return to full-scale war, senior American officials told Fox News.No final decision had been made as of Monday, July 20, the officials said. However, US Central Command was preparing options for a campaign that would extend well beyond the strikes conducted around the Strait of Hormuz since fighting resumed on July 7.One senior official described the potential operation as “far more intense and extensive” than the recent nightly bombardments, which have concentrated on Iranian coastal surveillance systems, air defenses, missile and drone launchers, military command centers and maritime capabilities.American forces have generally avoided targets near Tehran and have not conducted renewed attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities during the current phase of operations.“That could change if there is a return to full-scale war operations,” the official said.The preparations reportedly include moving additional F-16 and F-35 fighter aircraft and KC-135 aerial-refueling tankers toward the Middle East. Some tanker aircraft are being transferred from other locations in the region to Israel, where they could operate from military installations considered less exposed than American bases in Gulf states.An official characterized the aircraft movements as “preparatory ahead of a final decision.”The repositioning would give Trump the ability to order a wider and more sustained air campaign with relatively little warning. Refueling aircraft would allow American and Israeli warplanes to remain airborne longer, strike more distant targets and conduct repeated missions over Iran.US officials have not detected the kind of large-scale movement of aircraft across Europe that would normally precede a major deployment of B-2 Spirit stealth bombers from the United States. The absence of such an air bridge suggests that some of the Pentagon’s most powerful long-range strike options have not yet been activated.B-2 bombers, which can carry the massive GBU-57 bunker-busting bomb, participated in Operation Epic Fury earlier in the conflict. Such weapons would likely be required for another attempt to destroy Iran’s most deeply buried nuclear facilities.The current military preparations are also tied to the relocation of American refueling aircraft that had operated from Ben Gurion International Airport before the earlier phase of the campaign was halted. Officials reportedly believe Israeli military airfields would offer greater protection if Iran resumed concentrated missile and drone attacks against American bases in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and elsewhere in the Gulf.Israel would likely rejoin the air campaign if Trump orders a major escalation, according to the officials.The reported preparations follow a series of high-level administration discussions about expanding the war beyond its current focus on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and protecting commercial shipping.Trump convened his national security team in the Situation Room last week to discuss strikes on strategic Iranian targets. Officials reportedly considered attacks on power infrastructure, bridges, nuclear-related sites and facilities supporting Iran’s remaining missile and drone forces.The Pentagon has also examined more ambitious options, including operations connected to Kharg Island, the hub through which most Iranian oil exports traditionally pass, and Pickaxe Mountain, a heavily fortified underground complex near Natanz that US and Israeli officials suspect could support the reconstruction of Iran’s nuclear program.Recent US strikes have already weakened some of the defenses that Washington would want eliminated before attempting more complex operations.One American official described the campaign to Reuters as a series of “shaping operations” intended to prepare the battlefield for possible escalation.“This is helping set the stage, if needed,” the official said.CENTCOM said the first renewed attack on July 7 struck more than 80 targets, including Iranian air-defense systems, coastal radar installations, command networks, anti-ship weapons and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps boats.The command said those strikes were ordered after Iranian forces attacked three commercial vessels traveling through Hormuz following the collapse of a ceasefire arrangement.The United States subsequently conducted nine consecutive evenings of strikes through July 19. CENTCOM announced another round the following night, targeting Iranian military command centers, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and air-defense systems.Despite the sustained bombardment, Iran has retained the ability to launch missiles and drones, attack commercial vessels and threaten US forces and regional allies.Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan and Oman have reportedly promoted a proposal for a 10-day ceasefire that would halt attacks and reopen both shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz while the United States and Iran negotiate a longer-term arrangement.Neither side has accepted the proposal, and American officials have indicated that Trump intends to retaliate further for recent Iranian attacks that killed US service members.The post Trump on verge of deciding on whether to expand war with Iran – report appeared first on World Israel News.