MISSILE STRIKE ON ISRAEL BY IRAN OR PROXIES ‘MAY HAPPEN IN COMING DAYS’
The United States and its allies believe major missile or drone strikes by Iran or its proxies against military and government targets in Israel are imminent, in what would mark a significant widening of the six-month-old conflict, according to those familiar with the intelligence.
The potential assault, possibly using high-precision missiles, might happen in the coming days, they said, requesting anonymity to discuss confidential matters.
It was seen as more a matter of when, not if, one of the people said, based on assessments from US and Israeli intelligence.
An Iranian news agency briefly stoked tensions on Wednesday when it published an Arabic report on social media platform X, saying all airspace over Tehran had been closed for military drills.
The agency then removed the report and denied it had issued such news.
Iran has threatened to hit Israel in retaliation for an attack on a diplomatic compound in the Syrian capital of Damascus last week that killed senior Iranian military officials.
Israel has not explicitly acknowledged it was behind that attack, though it has traditionally followed a policy of ambiguity on operations in Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere.
Israel’s Western allies had been told Israeli government and military facilities might be targeted but civilian facilities were not expected to be, sources said.
US officials were helping Israel on planning and sharing intelligence assessments.
Israel has told allies it is waiting for this attack to take place before launching another ground offensive against Hamas in Rafah, in southern Gaza, though it is not clear how soon that operation may begin.
US and Western intelligence indicated an attack from Iran and its proxies might not necessarily come from Israel’s north, where Tehran’s ally Hezbollah in Lebanon was located.
Israeli officials are in agreement with the allied view. They have also publicly threatened Iran that if it hits Israeli soil, Israel will hit Iranian soil.
Earlier on Wednesday Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei repeated a vow to retaliate against Israel for the Damascus strike, which he said was tantamount to an attack on Iranian territory.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz swiftly riposted, in a Persian-language statement on social media site X: “If Iran attacks from its territory, Israel will respond and attack Iran.”
Foreign diplomatic missions already were preparing for the potential strikes, making contingency plans for evacuation, a source said.
While the US has pushed Israel for a ceasefire in Gaza, the administration of President Joe Biden has also signalled it is prepared to back the country in the event of an attack by Iran or its proxies.
“As I told Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu, our commitment to Israel security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad. Let me say it again, iron clad,” Biden said on
Wednesday.