Fears ramp up over Iranian attack on Israel

Americans told to avoid travel inside Israel, US troops and warships moved to positions in the Middle East, and President Biden’s warning of an attack ‘sooner rather than later’ makes retaliatory strikes by Iran against its allies possible this weekend. The US government is sensitive about sex. , a move that could spark a regional war.

Western intelligence agencies assessed Friday that Israel is preparing for a major attack from Iran that could come as early as Saturday. Bloomberg reported, The ruling and Biden’s warning appear to support U.S. troops and warships moving into positions in the Middle East.

Asked on Friday how imminent an attack on Israel was, the commander-in-chief said he did not want to discuss classified information but said, “I expect it sooner or later.”

The State Department also issued an updated security alert for U.S. government employees in Israel, restricting them and their families from personal travel outside of the greater Tel Aviv area, Jerusalem, and the southern city of Beersheba.

The severe warning was issued after Israel launched an airstrike on the Iranian embassy compound in the Syrian capital Damascus on April 1, killing seven Iranian military advisers, including three senior members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Iranian government has pledged to take action.

Jewish officials reportedly expect the attack to come directly from Iranian soil, possibly by missiles or armed drones, a prediction shared by some experts.

Alex Vatanka, director of the Middle East Institute’s Iran program, told The Hill that Iran is targeting “military or strategic assets that are probably somewhere in the north or south of the country, not even close to Jerusalem or Tel Aviv.” He said he was predicting an attack.

“We know that Iran has military power, it has missiles that can attack Israel, and it can do a lot of damage,” he said. But he added that given its military capabilities, Tehran is likely to be careful not to create a scenario in which the United States becomes further involved in the issue.

Case in point: Washington this week moved troops and warships into position in the area, including two destroyers, to protect American and Israeli forces in the event of an attack, at least one of which Equipped with Aegis missile defense system. The Wall Street Journal reported.

National Security and Public Affairs Advisor John Kirby told reporters on Friday that the United States has “made some adjustments” to its posture in the region given Iran’s “real” and “credible” threat. He seemed to approve of this move.

And Washington had earlier dispatched Gen. Eric Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, the top military officer in the Middle East region, to Israel, where he met with Israeli Defense Minister Job Gallant and Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Helj Halevi on Friday. We had a meeting.

“We are working closely with our partners to protect ourselves on the ground and in the air, and we will know how to respond,” Gallant’s office said after the meeting. added, “We discussed preparations for an attack by Iran against Iran.” The state of Israel could lead to regional escalation. ”

This follows assurances that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin gave Gallant during a phone call between the two on Thursday night, in which Austin said, “Israel is fully committed to the full support of the United States to protect Israel from Iranian attack.” We can look forward to your support,” the newspaper reported.

It’s unclear exactly how and where the Iranian government plans to attack Israel, but the scenario seemed almost certain, as expressed by U.S. officials and lawmakers on Friday.

“If there is no last-minute development, Iran will attack.” [Israel]. The response and risk of escalation will depend on what and how they attack,” Marco Rubio, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, wrote on social platform X.

Two anonymous U.S. officials told CBS that Iran’s attack could include more than 100 drones and dozens of missiles aimed at military targets inside Israeli territory, but that Iran is avoiding strikes. As mentioned above, the scale of the response is also fluid, as it is possible that small-scale attacks may be carried out. broader regional conflicts;

“Iran has so many options, but the most obvious option is to attack an Israeli diplomatic facility somewhere that is not in Israel,” said a former Central Intelligence Agency official who worked on the Middle East and is now at the Brookings think tank. Bruce Riedel, who works there, made a prediction. .

“After all, the Israelis attacked the Iranian embassy in Syria, but they did not attack Iran. So it seems to me that it is very dangerous to attack Israel now, and also that the It also increases the likelihood that people will be involved from the beginning,” he added.

Riedel told The Hill that a more subtle response would be for Iran to attack an Israeli embassy in Africa or South America, but an attack could kill an Israeli defense attaché there. He said it is possible. He also noted that Israeli state media announced that several anonymous embassies around the world had been evacuated.

“We have not said which embassies have been evacuated, but it is hard to believe that these are the most vulnerable embassies in places like South Africa, East Africa and possibly South America,” he said.