Iran planning to attack Israel in next 24 hours? Here's what new report says
Last week, Iran had reportedly asked the US to “step aside” as the country prepared a response to a suspected Israeli attack on its consulate in Syria.
ISRAEL is preparing for a “direct attack from Iran on southern or northern Israel" as soon as Friday or Saturday, a Wall Street Journal report cited sources as saying on Thursday (April 11). Sources said plans to attack are being discussed, however, no final decision has been made.
The report came days after Iran threatened to retaliate for an attack in Damascus, Syria. Tehran had accused Israel of launching airstrike on a consulate building. It had reportedly killed 13 people, including a senior member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has repeatedly said Israel will be “punished" for the assault.
Amid the speculations, Bloomberg News had reported on Wednesday that the US and allies “were expecting a major escalation of hostilities, with targeted attacks on the Israeli government and military site".
According to Bloomberg, any Iranian attack on Israel would likely be a combination of missiles and drones, based on current capabilities outlined in a new Defense Intelligence Agency Worldwide Threat assessment released late Thursday.
Last week, Iran said it asked the US to “step aside" as the country prepares a response to a suspected Israeli attack on its consulate in Syria. Meanwhile, Hezbollah, Iran's main proxy in the Middle East, warned Israel that it’s prepared for war, Bloomberg reported.
Israel-Iran conflict impact
A direct Israel-Iran conflict would significantly impact the Middle East region, where tensions have been rising since the Israel-Hamas war over the Gaza Strip.
Israel launched a war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in October last year. The was war prompted by an attack by Hamas that killed about 1,200 people in Israel. The Iran-backed militant group, Hamas, is designated a terrorist organization by the US and European Union.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said earlier that the US has warned Iran not to use Israel’s attack on Syria as a pretext to escalate hostilities further. “We’ve seen the threats coming from Iran and so we have made ourselves very clear where we stand in supporting Israel’s security," she was quoted as saying. “That is ironclad," she added.
