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The United States warned on Monday that Iran or its allies could launch an attack on Israel this week in retaliation for the assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.
The White House said it was preparing for “what could be a significant set of attacks” in its most specific public assessment of the timing of a potential assault by Tehran, echoing a similar assessment by Israeli officials.
“We share the same concerns and expectations that our Israeli counterparts have regarding the potential timing here, [It] could happen this week,” said U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
He added: “It is difficult to determine at this point whether there will be an attack by Iran or its proxies, as it might manifest itself, but we must be prepared.”
Kirby’s comments came as Israel’s chief military spokesman, Daniel Hagari, said Israeli forces were on “high alert” for retaliation from Iran or its proxies, including the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, and had stepped up air patrols over Lebanon to detect threats.
However, Hagari said Israel was not currently changing its civilian guidance. He added that if that were to change, the advice would be updated “as soon as possible… but without giving our enemies an operational or intelligence advantage.”
The United States announced Sunday that it has sent additional military assets to the region to help defend Israel, including a guided-missile submarine, in addition to the additional warships and fighter jets already promised.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Monday that he had discussed the “interoperability” of Israeli and U.S. forces in the region with his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin. A day earlier, he warned that “anyone who harms us in a way that has never been done in the past will probably be harmed in a way that has never been done in the past.”
Washington and its allies have mounted a joint diplomatic effort to reduce tensions in the region, with US President Joe Biden and the leaders of the UK, France, Germany and Italy warning of the consequences of any Iranian retaliation and urging Israel and Hamas to resume ceasefire talks to end the 10-month-old war in Gaza.
“We expressed our support for Israel’s defense against Iranian aggression and attacks by Iranian-backed terrorist groups,” the leaders said in a joint statement. “We called on Iran to withdraw its ongoing threats of a military attack against Israel and discussed the grave consequences for regional security if such an attack were to occur.”
As part of international efforts to defuse heightened tensions, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also had a rare phone call with Iran’s new President Masoud Pezeshkian. He warned of “a serious risk of miscalculation” in any attack on Israel, adding that “now was the time for calm and careful consideration.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin also held talks with Pezeshkian.
