US President Donald Trump and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu at a press conference in Jerusalem, May 2017. Photo: Netanyahu’s Twitter account.

JNS.org – The US and Israel have reportedly signed a joint plan to address Iran’s threatening behavior in the Middle East, including its nuclear program, ballistic missile development and support for terrorist groups.

According to a report aired by Israel’s Channel 10 on Thursday, a memorandum of understanding between the two allies was signed on Dec. 12 at the White House following intensive talks by senior national security officials.

Israeli defense and intelligence officials, reportedly led by National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat, met with their American counterparts to establish several working groups to develop regional goals. The US and Israel are aiming to formulate steps to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and to verify that the Islamic Republic is complying with the 2015 nuclear deal.

Additional working groups were set up to counter Iran’s activities in the region — specifically its support for the Hezbollah terror group — as well to establish a joint policy regarding Syria, counter Iran’s ballistic missile program, and make preparations for various scenarios of escalation in the Middle East.

A senior White House official later confirmed to The Jerusalem Post that a document signed by the US and Israel was established as a “new cooperative effort against Iran.”

“It’s more precise to say that it is a framework document, and not a done and dusted plan,” the US official said. “It is a framework for future cooperation. It is not the end result of a process, it’s more of a beginning.”

In October, President Donald Trump announced that he would not recertify Iran’s compliance with the nuclear deal, and that he would launch a new strategy to crack down on Iran’s “fanatical regime.”

“We will not continue down a path whose predictable conclusion is more violence, more terror and the very real threat of Iran’s nuclear breakout,” Trump said at the time.