WASHINGTON — For more than a week, President Donald Trump kept the world wondering whether he would join Israel’s attacks on Iran in an attempt to decapitate the country’s nuclear program. The guessing ended this weekend, when American stealth bombers, fighter jets and a submarine struck with bombs and missiles.
Trump’s decision marks one of the riskiest foreign policy decisions by a U.S. president in recent memory, potentially plunging the nation back into armed conflict in the Middle East with no clear endgame.
Like most of Trump’s presidency, the path to military action was unconventional and played out on social media, as he alternatively pledged diplomacy, demanded the evacuation of Tehran, threatened the ayatollah and ultimately announced the U.S. strike.
Here’s a look at how the last 11 days unfolded, a cascade of events that could reshape a combustible corner of the globe. All dates below are in Eastern time.
The first sign that conflict could be on the horizon came when families of U.S. troops began leaving the Middle East. “They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place, and we’ll see what happens,” Trump said as he arrived at the Kennedy Center for opening night of “Les Misérables,” one of his favorite musicals.
It wasn’t clear whether Israel was preparing to strike, fulfilling years of threats to attack Iran’s nuclear program, or if the movements were a feint to increase pressure for negotiations. The next round of talks between Washington and Tehran was just days away, and Trump was adamant about reaching a diplomatic solution.
Behind the scenes, the Israeli military operation was already taking shape.
Trump said an attack by Israel “could very well happen.” But Iran still seemed to be taken by surprise. Around 8 p.m. in Washington, explosions in Tehran killed top military leaders and scientists. Multiple sites connected to Iran’s nuclear program were also hit.
Israel said 200 warplanes took part in the first wave of attacks. More damage was done with drones that Israeli spies had smuggled into the country, destroying air defenses and missile launchers.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described it as a “targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.” Although Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program was for peaceful purposes, Israeli leaders claimed it was an imminent threat.
Trump posted on social media that “we remain committed to a…
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