Iran has reportedly put its military forces on “full high alert,” as it vows revenge for an alleged Israeli strike on Monday that killed a top Iranian commander in Syria and several other Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members.
Two Iranian officials quoted Friday by The New York Times said Iran has made a decision to directly attack Israel, in a move meant to create deterrence.
Meanwhile, a US official said the United States was on high alert and preparing for a possible attack by Iran targeting Israeli or American assets in the region.
“We’re definitely at a high state of vigilance,” the official said in confirming a CNN report that says an attack could come in the next week.
Both Iran and its proxy Hezbollah have vowed that Israel will not go unpunished for the attack.
Though that possibility has raised the specter of a wider war, two Iranian sources told Reuters that Tehran’s response would be calibrated to avoid escalation.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday the Damascus strike was a “desperate” effort by Israel that “will not save them from defeat” in Gaza.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to respond to efforts to harm Israelis, as the country geared up for a possible Iranian response.
A senior Iranian commander in Syria and multiple members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are said to have been killed in an alleged Israeli strike on Monday. Iran has reportedly placed its armed forces on “full high alert” in retaliation.
Iran has decided to strike Israel directly in an effort to create deterrence, according to two Iranian officials cited by The New York Times on Friday.
Concurrently, an American official stated that the US was prepared for a potential Iranian attack aimed at US or Israeli interests in the area and that the country was on high alert.
In response to a CNN report speculating that an attack may occur within the next week, the official stated, “We’re definitely at a high state of vigilance.”.
The US is preparing for a “significant” attack, according to a senior administration official who spoke with CNN, and both Washington and Jerusalem think an Iranian response is “inevitable.”. “.
According to CBS News, the United States has obtained intelligence suggesting that Iran is preparing an attack that would entail a swarm of explosive-equipped drones and cruise missiles. The timing and intended target of Iran’s anticipated response are unknown, according to US officials who spoke with CBS, but the report stated that it is anticipated to occur before Ramadan concludes next week.
The attack on Monday destroyed the consular annex of the Iranian embassy in Damascus; Israel has not responded to the news, but observers saw it as a step up in its campaign against Iran and its regional allies, which could spark a wider conflict that extends beyond the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip.
According to Iran, two brigadier generals from the Guards’ foreign operations branch, the Quds Force—Mohammad Reza Zahedi and Muhammad Hadi Haji Rahimi—were among the dead.
Zahedi was the most senior commander of Iranian forces in Syria and Lebanon, allegedly in charge of the IRGC’s operations there, Iranian militias, and relations with Hezbollah.
Israel will face consequences for the attack, as pledged by Iran and its ally Hezbollah. Reuters was informed by two Iranian sources that Tehran’s response would be measured to prevent escalation, even though that possibility has raised the possibility of a larger war.
Revolutionary Guards chief General Hossein Salami warned that “no enemy act against our holy system will go unanswered” on Friday at Zahedi and the other IRGC members’ funeral.
He continued, saying that the US is now “wildly hated by the world, especially in Muslim-dominated countries” for its support of Israel and that “the collapse of (the Zionist regime) is very possible and close with God’s grace.”.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, declared on Wednesday that Israel’s attack on Damascus was a “desperate” attempt that “will not save them from defeat” in Gaza.
As the nation prepared for a potential Iranian retaliation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Thursday to counteract attempts to harm Israelis.
“Iran has been acting against us for years — directly and via proxies,” stated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a security cabinet meeting shortly after he spoke with US President Joe Biden on the phone. As a result, Israel uses both offensive and defensive measures to target Iran and its allies. “.
Netanyahu went on, “We’ll be able to defend ourselves, and we’ll act on the basic tenet that we will harm those who harm us or intend to harm us. “.
This report was produced in collaboration with agencies.
