The US military is sending an additional Patriot missile system to Israel to beef up the country’s air defenses as part of preparations for a potential US-Israeli attack on Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday night. It’s estimated that the US has used about 1,700 Patriot missile interceptors , or about two-thirds of its total stockpile, in Iran since it was launched on February 28, and the reported deployment to Israel comes as the US has been holding up a Patriot missile shipment to Ukraine.
The Journal report said that the US has also warned its Gulf Arab allies to prepare for a short but intense renewed bombing campaign against Iran, though Iranian officials have warned that they will significantly escalate retaliatory strikes across the region in the face of any renewed US or Israeli attacks, meaning the US will have little control on the timeline. A US MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system is loaded onto a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft in an undisclosed location in the Middle East on November 4, 2025 (US Air Force photo) The reported warning to the Gulf states comes as senior Gulf Arab officials appear desperate to avoid a re-escalation of the war as they have been engaging with Iranian officials.
Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman visited Tehran on Monday, and the following day, Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Moscow. Sources told the Journal that President Trump has made a final decision on going ahead with an attack on Iran but was leaning toward launching strikes after the November 3 US midterm elections. Other preparations have included moving troops around the region, loading aircraft with bombs, and deploying additional warships.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was eager to attack Iran ahead of Tuesday’s Israeli elections, and now that his party has come out on top but is short of a majority needed to form a government, he may have even more of a motive to re-escalate the war than before. If you liked this article, please support Antiwar.com. We are 100% reader-supported.
Antiwar.com reports a Wall Street Journal account that the US is sending another Patriot system to Israel and warning Gulf states to prepare for renewed bombing of Iran. One sentence tells the reader that Trump has made a final decision to attack, which contradicts the same sentence and the article's own headline and opening line calling the attack potential. The article also states Netanyahu's eagerness to attack before the election in its own voice, without saying who reported it.
Makes a false claim
Serious
“President Trump has made a final decision on going ahead with an attack on Iran but was leaning toward launching strikes”
Why this matters
The words "has made a final decision on going ahead with an attack" tell the reader the decision to strike Iran is settled. The same sentence then says Trump "was leaning toward" a timing, which only makes sense if no final decision had been made.
The impression it gives
A reader believes Trump has already decided to attack Iran and only the date is open.
The context
The article's own headline and opening sentence describe a "potential" attack and preparations for one. The sentence contradicts the rest of the article, and nothing in the article backs a final decision.
How we know
Elsewhere in the article“preparations for a potential US-Israeli attack on Iran”
In the headline“To Prepare for Potential Attacks on Iran”
Sources told the Journal that President Trump was leaning toward launching strikes on Iran after the November 3 US midterm elections.
States one side's claim as fact
Minor
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was eager to attack Iran ahead of Tuesday’s Israeli elections”
Why this matters
The article states Netanyahu's eagerness to attack in its own voice, with no source attached.
The impression it gives
A reader takes Netanyahu's wish to strike before the vote as an established fact the outlet has verified.
The context
Other outlets attributed this to Israeli media reports: Israel Hayom and Channel 12 reported Netanyahu pushed for an operation that army chief Eyal Zamir opposed, and opposition figures made the accusation. The claim is well reported but belongs to those sources.