The United States believes a major Iranian attack on Israel is imminent and could happen in the coming days, according to a report Wednesday, as Iran reiterated its vow to retaliate for an alleged Israeli strike in Syria that killed two generals among several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers.
Citing people familiar with US and Israeli intelligence assessments, Bloomberg reported Iran could launch strikes involving high-precision missiles and drones targeting military and government sites in Israel.
One of the people quoted in the report said it was a matter of when — not if — Tehran will attack Israel.
Separately, the Axios news site reported that Gen. Michael Kurilla, head of the US Central Command, was expected to visit Israel on Thursday for consultations with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and other officials to discuss the threat of an Iranian attack.
The report added that US and Israeli officials across various agencies have been in contact over the last few days, as the countries prepare for a possible response to the alleged Israeli strike on April 1 that hit an Iranian consulate building in Damascus where the IRGC members were located.
The reports came as US President Joe Biden reiterated America’s commitment to Israeli security in the face of threats from Iran.
Speaking at a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio in the White House’s Rose Garden, Biden told reporters Wednesday that “[w]e also addressed the Iranian threat, as they threaten to launch a significant attack on Israel.
“As I told Prime Minister Netanyahu, our commitment to Israel’s security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad,” said Biden. “Let me say it again, ironclad. We’re going to do all we can to protect Israel’s security.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also stressed US support for Israel during a call Wednesday with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, saying Washington would stand with Jerusalem against threats from Tehran.
An American official later told Al Jazeera that Biden’s remarks did not come out of left field, adding the US will assist in defending Israel if it is attacked by Iran or one of its proxies.
The official said that if the attack involves missiles and drones, American forces could help in downing them, and also said the US has not ruled out launching a joint response with Israel against the Islamic Republic or its allies if they attack the Jewish state.
Amid the tensions, Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency reported late Wednesday that Iran suspended all air traffic over the capital Tehran from midnight local time due to “military drills,” quoting the defense minister.
However, the news agency swiftly removed the report from its official channel on X and denied in a new post that it had published any such news.
Earlier Wednesday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei told a crowd in Tehran that “the evil regime made a mistake and must be punished, and it shall be,” referring to the attack in Damascus earlier this month, allegedly carried out by Israel, in which seven IRGC members were killed, including two generals.
One of them was Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in the Quds Force, the Guards’ foreign arm, who led its operations in Syria.
Following Khamenei’s speech, Gallant and Foreign Minister Israel Katz both threatened that if Iran launched an attack from its own soil then Israel would strike back inside Iran.
Meanwhile, a source with knowledge of the situation said the US Middle East envoy called the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and Iraq to ask them to deliver a message to Iran urging it to lower tensions with Israel.
White House Middle East czar Brett McGurk asked the officials to contact the Iranian foreign minister to convey a message that Iran should de-escalate with Israel, which they did, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Iran’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Iraq spoke on the phone with Iran’s foreign minister and discussed regional tensions.
The White House declined to comment.
McGurk’s calls were first reported by Axios.
Also Wednesday, German airline Lufthansa announced that, after careful consideration, it would suspend flights to and from Tehran until Thursday, “due to the current situation in the Middle East.”
“We are constantly monitoring the situation in the Middle East and are in close contact with the authorities. The safety of our guests and crew members is Lufthansa’s top priority,” a spokesperson for the company told Reuters.
Source » timesofisrael