[ad_1]
Israel informs US that Iran is preparing a massive attack on it
The Axios news website said that the Minister of Occupation Forces, Yoav Galant, spoke with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and informed him that Iran’s military preparations showed that Tehran was preparing for a large-scale attack.
The Hebrew-language “Wala” website also said that Galant informed Austin that he was monitoring Iran’s military preparations, which strengthened the estimate of its intention to launch an attack in the coming days.
The website quoted Israeli officials as saying that Iran is estimated to have decided to launch a direct attack on Israel in response to the assassination of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Tehran has repeatedly confirmed that it will respond promptly to Haniyeh’s assassination, pointing out that the assassination was a blatant violation of its sovereignty.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah also vowed to respond to Israel’s assassination of prominent leader Fuad Shoukr in a raid in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Axios news website quoted two people familiar with the matter as saying that the latest assessment of Israeli intelligence agencies is that Iran is preparing to directly attack Israel in response to the assassination of Haniyeh, and this is likely to happen within days.
Two sources said new intelligence assessments suggested the attack could have taken place ahead of ceasefire talks scheduled for next Thursday.
Axios also cited people familiar with the matter as saying that Israel’s latest intelligence assessment prepared in the past 24 hours represented a shift.
The website added that Military Intelligence and the Air Force had increased their alert status in view of an imminent Iranian response.
According to Axios, citing people familiar with the matter, Israeli intelligence agencies still believe that Hezbollah will attack Iran first and then attack Iran.
These sources suggest that the possible attack by Hezbollah and Iran would be larger than the one that took place last April.
Hezbollah and Iranian attacks could also include missile launches and marches against military targets in central Israel and near civilian centers.
The US news website also quoted a source familiar with intelligence information as saying that the debate in Iran is still going on and Iran’s decision-making process may change because the Revolutionary Guard is seeking a harsher and more extensive response than the April attack, while Iran’s new president and his advisers believe that an escalation of the situation in the region is not in the country’s interest.
CNN previously reported that Israeli intelligence believes Hezbollah will launch an attack on Monday, and Iran will launch an attack on Israel a few hours later.
Grant reiterated his threats against Iran and Hezbollah, saying any attack on Israel would be met with a strong response the likes of which Israel has never used before.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) said earlier today that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin informed Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant that he had ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier group to move rapidly to the region.
The Pentagon added that Austin also informed Galant that the guided-missile submarine USS Georgia would be sent to the Central Command region.
Washington has recently stepped up its presence in the Middle East, and Iran and Hezbollah were expected to respond to the two assassinations in Tehran and the southern suburbs of Beirut.
The United States has pledged to defend Israel, just as it did last April when Israel was hit by Iranian missile attacks and demonstrations.
In Iran, Shirin Morad Babahani, political and social adviser to the governor of Qasr, said the Revolutionary Guards were conducting military exercises in large areas of the city.
Babahani added that the exercise will continue until next Tuesday, noting that the western region enjoys high security as armed forces deployed on the border of Qasr Shirin city and other areas of Kermanshah are being prepared.
A Revolutionary Guard spokesman threatened Israel to respond to the assassination of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh.
The Iranian spokesman stressed that given that the assassination of Haniyeh was aimed at reducing and weakening the deterrent power of the resistance front, the response would be made on what he called a “specified date.”
As for Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, he said Tehran considers revenge for Haniyeh a religious and national obligation and Israel must be prepared for severe punishment from Iran.
Iran’s announcement came as the Revolutionary Guards unveiled a new cruise missile that it said was undetectable.
[ad_2]
Source link
