Israel is preparing for a major attack on its own soil by Iran in the next 24-48 hours, possibly in the form of a drone assault, according to U.S. intelligence.
Iran has vowed to retaliate against Israel for the bombing of an Iranian diplomatic annex in Damascus, Syria, that resulted in the death of Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps general.
On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited an Israel Defense Forces air base, telling troops: “We have determined a simple rule: Whoever harms us, we will harm them.”
U.S. intelligence, however, believes that the retaliatory attack is imminent, telling CBS News it could take the form of more than 100 drones and dozens of missiles aimed at military targets. An official told the Wall Street Journal the attack could “possibly [be] on Israeli soil.”
Earlier this week, Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, said the United States was “watching public statements by Iranian officials, public reports of Iranian plans to potentially take retaliatory action.”
Sullivan continued: “We have made clear that as the president said to the prime minister and as was read out in his call that America’s support for Israel’s security is ironclad and America’s support for Israel’s defense against threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad.”
The U.S. has additionally warned Iran not to use the Damascus attack as a pretext for escalating conflict in the region, which is already dealing with the fallout from Hamas’s deadly assault on Israel last October.
In recent days, President Joe Biden has spoken to Netanyahu, while Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has spoken to his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, to reiterate America’s support for defending Israel from Iranian attacks.
During his briefing on Thursday, Pentagon press secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said the U.S. was “monitoring the situation closely.”
“I don’t have a crystal ball, and I’m not going to get into specific intelligence. I would just say that — what you heard the president say, and as I highlighted in my topper, we are in close contact with the Israelis, to include today’s phone call with Minister Gallant, and that U.S. commitment to Israel’s security against threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad. And I’ll just leave it there,” he said.
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On Thursday, the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem issued a security alert restricting employees and family members from personal travel outside the greater Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Be’er Sheva areas until further notice.