There is an argument circulating among some commentators that Israel initiated the current conflict in Iran independently and that the United States (US) effectively joined after the fact. From your understanding, how accurate is this characterisation of the decision-making behind the war?
This argument is totally incorrect. Israel and the US have fully coordinated this unfortunate attack. Albeit [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu pushed [US President Donald] Trump to agree, making the case that unless there is regime change in Iran, we should not expect this regime to ever agree to dismantle its nuclear program and certainly not its ballistic missile production. Furthermore, Netanyahu argued that Iran is at its weakest state at this juncture, which offered a window of opportunity to attack, an opportunity that may not present itself later.