The United States was aware of Israel’s sweeping strike on Iranian nuclear and military targets days before the operation began, despite public denials from the White House, press reports said.

Trump administration officials were briefed ahead of the operation and did not oppose it in private, despite making public statements distancing themselves from the attack, Axios reported on Friday, citing Israeli forces.

“We had a clear US green light,” Axios quoted one Israeli official as saying.

President Donald Trump, speaking just hours before the strikes, stated that the US would not participate militarily but later acknowledged he had prior knowledge.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasised that Israel acted “unilaterally”.

Israeli forces attacked Iran in the early hours of Friday, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presenting it as an attempt to “eliminate” Tehran’s nuclear and missile capabilities, causing a dramatic increase in regional tensions.

Iran has vowed to retaliate, with threats to target both Israeli sites and US military bases in the region. “We will respond at the right time, in the right place,” a senior Iranian official said Friday.

‘Make a deal’

Meanwhile, President Trump said the US was aware of Israel’s plans to attack Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

“Heads-up? It wasn’t a heads-up. It was, we know what's going on,” Trump told the WSJ when asked what kind of heads-up the US got ahead of the attack that targeted Iran's nuclear and military facilities.

Trump said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on Thursday, and plans to speak with the premier on Friday as well.

He called the Israeli operation “a very successful attack, to put it mildly”.

“I told the other side, I said, you have 60 days to make the deal. On the 61st day, they attacked. Today is 61 actually, and it was a very successful attack,” Trump said.

“They should have made a deal and they still can make a deal while they have something left— they still can,” he added.