Senior officials say Iran has made same preparations as it did before April attack, though exact timing of launch unknown; army says still no changes to civilian guidelines
The Israel Defense Forces on Monday was at “peak alert” as both Washington and Jerusalem shared expectations that Iran could launch major attacks on Israel as soon as this week.
“We share the same concerns and expectations that our Israeli counterparts have with respect to potential timing here. Could be this week,” White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters, amid a flurry of reports that Tehran was getting ready to carry out its reprisal for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on July 31.
Iran has prepped its missile and drone units, similarly to steps taken before its unprecedented attack on Israel in April, Axios reported, citing senior officials in Washington and Jerusalem.
“We have to be prepared for what could be a significant set of attacks,” Kirby added on Monday.
Kirby said the US has increased its regional force posture in recent days, which Channel 12 news reported was larger than its deployment ahead of the unprecedented attack on April 13-14, when the Islamic Republic fired some 300 missiles and drones at Israel, most of which were downed by Israel and its allies.
“We obviously don’t want to see Israel have to defend itself against another onslaught like they did in April. But, if that’s what comes at them, we will continue to help them defend themselves,” Kirby told reporters.
He added: “It is difficult to ascertain at this particular time if there’s an attack by Iran or its proxies what it could look like.”
“The president is confident that we have the capability available to us to help defend Israel should it come to that,” Kirby said, adding, “Nobody wants to see it come to that.”
Regional tensions have spiraled since Iran threatened retaliation against Israel for the killing of Haniyeh in Tehran last month. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the assassination widely attributed to the IDF. Iran’s proxy Hezbollah terror group has also vowed a major response to Israel’s killing of its top military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut, several hours before Haniyeh’s assassination.
The Biden administration’s special envoy Amos Hochstein, who has attempted to advance efforts to de-escalate fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, was set to visit Beirut on Tuesday, Channel 12 news reported.
Kirby also noted Monday that the timing of any Iranian attack could affect Gaza hostage-ceasefire talks, currently scheduled to resume on August 15. Israel has confirmed that it will send a delegation to the talks, while Hamas has refused to attend. White House Mideast czar Brett McGurk reportedly departed Washington on Monday for talks in Cairo to prepare for Thursday’s summit.
Senior officials stressed to Axios that neither Israel nor the US can predict the exact timing of the retaliation attack that Iran has threatened.
“The Iranians openly signal (on the ground) their determination to carry out a significant attack in addition to their public statements that the attack will exceed the one they carried out in April. Iranian public statements do not reflect any retreat,” a senior Israeli official told Axios.
Amid the heightened tensions, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said that the military is on “peak alert” for a potential attack from Iran or Hezbollah in Lebanon.
However, he made clear that there are still no changes to emergency guidelines for civilians, even as reports claim that an Iranian attack on Israel is imminent.
If there are, “we will update immediately,” he said. “We will update [the public] as early as possible… but without giving our enemies an intelligence or operational advantage.”
“In recent days, we are tracking our enemies and the developments in the Middle East, especially Hezbollah and Iran,” Hagari said in a press conference.
He said that the Israeli Air Force has increased its patrols over Lebanon, “to detect and intercept threats.”
“We view the statements of our enemies seriously, and are therefore prepared at the highest level of readiness for defense and attack,” Hagari stated.
Amid efforts to restrain the Islamic Republic, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday his country has “the right to respond” to any aggression after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged de-escalation.
“While emphasizing diplomatic solutions to issues, Iran will never give in to pressure, to sanctions, and to bullying and considers it has the right to respond to aggressors in accordance with international norms,” Pezeshkian said according to a statement published by official news agency IRNA following a phone call with Scholz.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also spoke with Pezeshkian on Monday as part of de-escalation efforts to ease tensions in the Middle East, the premier’s office said.
Starmer asked him to refrain from attacking Israel and said that war was not in anyone’s interest, the British prime minister’s office stated.
Pictures shared online by 10 Downing Street showed Starmer on the phone with a caption saying he was talking to Pezeshkian.
According to Sky News, which first reported the story, Starmer held a 30-minute phone call with Pezeshkian after speaking with US President Joe Biden and other European allies.
Biden and the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, and Britain issued a joint statement urging Iran to “stand down” its threats of an attack on Israel.
“We called on Iran to stand down its ongoing threats of a military attack against Israel and discussed the serious consequences for regional security should such an attack take place,” the leaders said after speaking together by phone.
As reported by The Times of Israel