Following the attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on April 1st, which Israel is claiming was carried out, Iran and Israel are exchanging threats and counterthreats. (Biden) Both parties must refrain from escalating their actions any further, or otherwise the Middle East could explode.
Washington — The Biden administration is on high alert for what could be the eruption of a significantly volatile and unpredictable period in the Middle East, and sources tell CNN that the US expects Iran to launch strikes against multiple targets inside Israel in the coming days and is ready to assist in helping intercept any weapons launched at its ally.
On Friday, President Joe Biden issued a harsh public warning once more, predicting that Iran would launch assaults “sooner rather than later.” His admonition to Tehran was to “don’t.”
President Biden forewarned Tehran against an impending Iranian attack on Israel on Friday, stating that it may occur sooner rather than later.
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October, the US has wanted to prevent a major escalation in the region, which would occur if Iran and Israel started a state-on-state confrontation.
According to a senior administration official and a source familiar with the intelligence, as of late Friday, the US assessed that Iranian proxies would potentially be engaged in the next strikes, and that the targets would probably be both inside Israel and across the region. The degree of continued collaboration between the two military was evident in the US’ willingness to intercept weapons fired against Israel.
According to two persons familiar with US intelligence: the US had seen Iran relocating military equipment within its borders, such as drones and cruise missiles, indicating that it was getting ready to launch an attack on Israeli targets from within its own borders. According to one of the witnesses, the US (Biden) had seen Iran preparing up to 100 cruise missiles.
It was unclear if Iran was staging a move to try to dissuade the US or Israel from carrying out a potential counterattack on its land, or if it was getting ready to launch an initial attack from its grounds.
To the question of what his message was to Iran, he replied, “Don’t,”. “We are committed to keeping Israel safe. We’ll stand with Israel. We’ll assist in defending Israel. And Iran won’t be successful,” stated Biden.
Israel has remained on high alert since an airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus two weeks ago, in case of an attack by Iran.
Iran claimed: that the attack killed multiple Quds Force members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including two of its generals. A week ago, Biden had a conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding Iran’s threats against Israel.
In response to reporters’ concerns about whether US forces (Biden) were in danger, Biden stressed his administration’s dedication to Israel’s security at the White House on Friday.
He declared, “We are committed to Israel’s defense.” “Iran will fail, and we will stand by Israel and assist in its defense.” Following Israel’s attack on an Iranian diplomatic post in Syria last week that resulted in the deaths of three Iranian generals, the White House stated on Friday that there is still a “real,” “credible,” and “viable” threat of Iran initiating strikes.
The national security staff of President Biden, who issued a warning this week that Iran was preparing a “significant attack” on Israel, has been providing him with regular briefings on the situation.
“Our commitment to protecting Israel’s security from these threats from Iran and its proxies is unwavering, as I informed Prime Minister Netanyahu. In a press conference on Wednesday, Biden reiterated, “Ironclad.” “We’re going to do all we can to protect Israel’s security.”
According to John Kirby: a spokesman for the White House National Security Council (Biden), he has been updated on developments several times a day.
While reiterating that Israel is the target of the prospective strike, Kirby added that the United States is “doing everything we can to protect our our people and our facilities.”
According to a defense official, the United States was deploying “additional assets to the region” on Friday in order to safeguard American forces and strengthen deterrence measures.
As the Iranian threat grew closer, the US (Biden) and a number of other nations, including Britain and France, released updated travel advisories for government employees in Israel.
The National Security Council spokesperson, John Kirby, stated, “We’re watching this very, very closely,” but he would not comment on when the danger is likely to materialize.
Long-range missiles fired toward Israel from the Houthis in Yemen have already been intercepted by US Navy forces stationed in the Red Sea. Depending on where they are fired, drones and missiles aimed towards northern Israel may also be intercepted by US forces in Iraq and Syria.
As Israel and the US prepare for a possible Iranian attack: the Defense Department is also deploying more resources to the Middle East “to bolster regional deterrence efforts and increase force protection for US forces,” a US defense official told CNN.
The goal of the Pentagon’s efforts has been to strengthen air defenses for US troops stationed in Iraq and Syria, who were attacked more than 100 times between October and February by proxy forces backed by Iran. At the Tower 22 base in Jordan in January, a drone managed to breach US air defenses, killing three US service members.
Although it is not expecting Iran or its proxies to attack US (Biden) personnel in reprisal, the US is transferring the assets anyhow.
Last week, CNN reported: that the United States was actively bracing for an attack by Iran against American or Israeli assets in the region, and that the country was on high alert. According to officials, an attack of this nature might occur this week. Iran is reportedly cautious of a sharp escalation.
According to two persons familiar with US information on the subject, CNN reported earlier this week that an Iranian strike on Israel would probably be carried out by Iranian proxy forces in the area rather than by Iran itself.
According to the sources, Tehran fears a sharp uptick in the fighting and does not want to provide the US or its allies with a pretext to launch a direct strike on Iran.
Although the sources pointed out that Iran does not always have complete command and control over all of its proxy forces, an attack against US installations is still a feasible. ruled out, they claimed that Iran and its proxy militia groups do not look ready to strike US troops or other assets in the region.
According to the sources, who spoke to CNN, US intelligence believes that Iran has pushed a number of its proxy militia groups to attack Israel simultaneously with missiles and drones, maybe as soon as this week.
One insider stated, “The threat is very clear and credible.”They have everything set up to attack at this exact moment. Simply wait at the appropriate moment.
During a phone conversation last week, Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the possibility of an Iranian attack.
One of the worst-case situations for which the Biden administration is prepared is an Iranian direct strike on Israel, which would ensure a swift escalation of the already volatile Middle East situation. A strike of this kind might cause the Israel-Hamas battle to escalate into a larger regional confrontation, which is precisely what Biden has long wished to prevent.
Kirby stated: that Biden is being briefed on the situation several times a day. Kirby stated on Friday that efforts were being taken to guarantee Israel’s ability to defend itself and that US officials were in “continuous communication” with their Israeli counterparts regarding the situation.
“We are aware of Iran’s very public and, in our opinion, credible threat regarding possible attacks on Israel,” Kirby stated on Friday.
He cited US Central Command chief Gen. Erik Kurilla’s travel to Israel on Friday in order to have “those conversations directly with his IDF counterparts.”
Due to the anticipation of an Iranian reaction to Israel’s attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, last week, Kurilla’s trip to Israel was accelerated.
According to one of the US sources: there have also been several discussions in which US officials have pleaded with Israel not to intensify the situation by taking revenge on Iran. Israel and Iran have been embroiled in increasing tension for many years. Targeting Iranian arms shipments, some of which are bound for Lebanon, and Iranian-affiliated personnel, Israel has been waging an active military campaign in Syria that its strategists refer to Called “the war between the wars.
” Since late 2023, Israel has carried out numerous operations against members of the Revolutionary Guard, the most recent of which being the attack on Damascus. and its Qods Force.
Additionally, it has repeatedly engaged in clandestine operations to undermine Iran’s nuclear program, military installations, and energy infrastructure. Additionally, it has traded tit-for-tat cyberattacks and high seas assaults with Iran.
Iran, on the other hand, has long backed a number of militias that Israel finds concerning, and its government’s animosity for Israel is one of its central revolutionary tenets. Iran has long provided Hamas with arms and training, and it supported the group’s devastating offensive in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Over the course of the ensuing conflict in Gaza, it has reportedly financed armaments into the West Bank and supported actions on several fronts against Israel and its main external backer, the United States – by Yemen’s Houthis, Hizbollah in Lebanon, and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq and Syria.
However, there’s a growing chance of calculating errors, with very serious consequences. Retaliation from Israel is expected to escalate in the event that Iranian soldiers assault the country, particularly if they attack directly.
Israeli officials have stated: unequivocally that should its territory be directly targeted, Israel would respond in kind. That being said, despite of its differences with Israel about Gaza, Washington is not going to stand by and watch. Put differently, Tehran may have thought that Iranian action would be restricted and calibrated, but it could easily lead to a wider conflict including the friends of both side.
It is essential that both parties, under the encouragement and coercion of their partners, prevent a significant escalation or at the very least limit it in terms of duration and extent. Even if they are successful this time, the Middle East is getting closer to a disastrous situation in which everyone will lose: the battle in Gaza is continuing.
Separately, sources told CNN, that US officials were angry with their Israeli colleagues for not providing more intelligence before Israel launched the strike in Damascus last week. According to another US official (Biden), Israel didn’t tell anyone until its planes were in the air on their way to Syria.
The official stated, “We were not aware that Israel was going to carry out this airstrike in advance.” Israel contacted a U.S. official (Biden) moments before the incident to inform them that they were planning an attack in Syria while their planes were still in the air. The strike had already started before word could reach the US administration, and it contained no information about who or where it would be carried out.
Diplomatic Coercion: According to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller on Thursday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, China, and Turkey, urging them to put pressure on Iran to refrain from escalating the Middle East crisis following threats made by Iran against Israel.
In order to convey a similar message about Iran, Miller added that the US (Biden) had also “engaged with European allies and partners over the past few days.” The Iranian foreign minister has recently spoken with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
Every nation that has any kind of relationship with Iran, according to Blinken, “has been making clear that it is in their interest to use that relationship to send a message. Following Iran’s public threats against Israel, the US State Department has placed restrictions on the travel of US federal officials within Israel.
A security alert posted by the US Embassy (Biden) on Thursday stated that, “U.S. government personnel are authorized to transit between these three areas for personal travel.” However, “out of an abundance of caution, U.S. government employees and their family members are restricted from personal travel outside the greater Tel Aviv (including Herzliya, Netanya, and Even Yehuda), Jerusalem, and Be’er Sheva areas until further notice.”
The advisory stated that the security environment is still complicated and subject to sudden changes based on the state of politics and current affairs.
Due to the possibility of “military escalation,” France has recommended its people to “absolutely refrain” from visiting Iran, Lebanon, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories. This information was released by the French Foreign Ministry on Friday.
The ministry further stated, that civil servants would not be permitted to serve on missions to Iran or its territories, and that families of diplomats stationed in Tehran, the capital of Iran, would be sent back to France.
Following a crisis conference on the region, the French Foreign Minister released the latest advice, the ministry stated in a post on X.
