According to two sources familiar with US intelligence, Iran may react against Israel in the coming days.
The intelligence that Iran could employ drones and missiles to target Israel’s “regional assets” has been shared with US senators.
US authorities believe the assaults would be carried out in retribution for Israel’s bombing in Damascus, Syria, last week, which killed a top commander in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and six other troops. If Iran retaliates, officials fear the attacks have the potential to escalate the conflict in Gaza.
“They’re threatening to launch a significant attack on Israel,” Biden warned during a news conference Wednesday.
“As I informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, our commitment to Israel’s security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is unwavering. Let me say it again: ironclad. “We’ll do everything we can to ensure Israel’s security,” he continued.
Last Monday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian stated that Israel “will be punished and that America is responsible for the regime’s attack on the Iranian embassy and must be held accountable.”
“The response will be crushing,” he continued.
Israel Katz, Israel’s foreign minister, issued a warning to Iran on Wednesday via the social media site X.
“If Iran attacks from its territory, Israel will respond and attack Iran,” Katz wrote in an email.
Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, made similar statements on Wednesday.
“We will know to respond very quickly in a necessary offensive on the territory of whoever attacks Israel, no matter where — anywhere in the Middle East,” Gallant said during a visit to an Iron Dome installation in northern Israel.
According to one US official, Iran may choose to strike proportionally by striking an Israeli diplomatic facility, similar to the Iranian diplomatic position struck in Syria on Monday. Alternatively, the official stated that Iran may strike directly at Israel.
A second individual familiar with the intelligence said that officials feared Israel’s “regional assets” were in grave danger.
Threats to US assets are less evident. Officials have long expressed worry that Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria could resume targeting US forces.
These attacks ended on February 4 as a result of US airstrikes in response to the deaths of three service personnel.
While US officials say they see no specific threats to troops in the region, there is still concern that an Iranian attack could further destabilize the region.