Israel braces for Iran attack as USworks to revive coalition
Aug 4, 2024 17:13:30 GMT -5
Post by shalom on Aug 4, 2024 17:13:30 GMT -5
Report says attack could come as soon as Monday
Israel braces for Iran attack as US works to revive coalition that foiled April assault
Israel’s leaders said to discuss readiness for ‘all-out war,’ with concerns attack could be on ‘several fronts’; CENTCOM head expected in Israel; Biden says he hopes Tehran stands down
By ToI Staff and Agencies
Today, 12:11 pm
Israel is braced for potential attacks by Iran and Hezbollah in the coming days, and assesses that assaults could come from several fronts, Hebrew media reported Saturday.
The US is scrambling to revive a regional coalition that earlier this year succeeded in almost entirely thwarting a previous direct Iranian attack on Israel, reports said, while Israeli officials concede that this time around there may be damage and casualties.
An Iranian attack could come as soon as Monday, according to the Axios website that cited US and Israeli officials.
Iran, its Lebanese ally Hezbollah, and the Palestinian Islamist terror group Hamas blame Israel for the killing in Tehran on Wednesday of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. His assassination came just hours after a strike claimed by Israel killed Hezbollah’s military chief, Fuad Shukr, on Tuesday evening near Beirut. Israel has claimed responsibility for killing Shukr, but has not officially commented on Haniyeh, whose death Hamas, Iran and their allies have blamed on Israel.
Both Iran and Hezbollah have vowed revenge for the killings that came amid already explosive tensions against the background of Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel that the Iran-backed terror group says are in support of Gaza.
The Israeli security establishment is on “peak alert” and members of a US-led international coalition — including Britain and allied Arab states — aimed at thwarting potential Iranian attacks on “several fronts” are braced to try to deter and intercept them, Channel 12 reported.
Among the precautions taken are patrols by combat aircraft and warships of allied countries in the area, the report said, without citing sources or providing further details.
Israel’s leadership has been holding discussions on how the country would respond to such attacks, including what the network described as “a readiness for an entry into all-out war in this context.”
The Ynet news website similarly reported a round of security meetings in Israel over the weekend to prepare for an attack that could lead to a war on what it said could be “five fronts,” without elaborating.
Ministers have been told to be ready for any scenario and that an attack could come at any time and could involve “thousands” of destroyed sites, the report said.
A man walks past a billboard displaying portraits of Hamas terror group leader Ismail Haniyeh (left) and its Gaza military chief Muhammad Deif, with the word “Assassinated”in Hebrew, in Tel Aviv, on August 2, 2024. (Oren Ziv / AFP)
A senior Israeli official told the outlet that Israel and the US could struggle to stop an attack from several fronts and that the country needs to prepare for “a lot of casualties.” However, such a scenario would also enable Israel to hit back more forcefully, and would see the world rally around Israel, the official claimed.
Channel 12 noted that Saturday’s edition of Iran’s Kayhan pro-regime newspaper, in its editorial, warned that, in contrast to Iran’s almost completely thwarted April attack on Israel, its attack this time would target areas deep inside Israel, such as Tel Aviv and Haifa, strategic centers, and the homes of Israeli officials.
The network also reported that Shiite militias in Iraq are threatening to strike at both Israel and US targets.
Channel 12 said the killing of Hamas’s Haniyeh at an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-run guesthouse in the heart of Tehran left the regime feeling “deeply penetrated” and “completely exposed” to Israeli intelligence. The report noted that Iran had already impacted Israel by prompting the cancellation of flights by numerous foreign airlines and by inducing concern among Israelis over an imminent attack.
As things stand, Home Front Command instructions to the Israeli public are unchanged.
If something changes, the IDF has stressed, the public will immediately be told.
Ynet cited a security official as saying the strategy of not issuing specific new instructions to the public was based on lessons learned from the April standoff with Iran.
“One of the things we understood from April is that we need to maintain routine. The instructions then caused Iran to increase the attack,” the source said. If necessary, they said, “instructions will be quickly released.”
The entrance to a public shelter in Tel Aviv, August 2, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
In April, Iran launched over 300 missiles and drones at Israel in response to the killing of two senior army generals in a Damascus strike that Tehran blamed on Israel.
The wave was intercepted by Israeli air defenses alongside a major US-led coalition of regional forces that included British and French warplanes, as well as, reportedly, intelligence and radar resources from some Arab nations. A few missiles made it through the shield causing very minor damage at an air base, though a young Bedouin girl was seriously injured by falling shrapnel from an intercept.
The US, which has vowed to help defend Israel from Iran, is now hoping to conjure up a similar coordinated array of forces to stop an Iranian attack.
The Axios website on Sunday cited three US and Israeli officials as saying an Iranian attack could come by Monday.
Gen. Michael Kurilla, commander of the US CENTCOM, was expected to arrive in Israel in the region on Monday, the site reported.
The trip to the region, where he has been since Saturday, was planned before the recent developments that stoked the threat of war but he is now expected to cobble together the same coalition of forces that helped thwart Iran’s past direct attack on Israel, according to a US official.
US CENTCOM chief Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla (right) meets with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi (center) and Northern Command chief, Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, in an image published July 17, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
The official said that Kurilla is to make visits to several Gulf countries, as well as Jordan and Israel. In particular, the US wants Jordan again to allow US and Israeli jets into its airspace to intercept incoming Iranian drones.
However, the report said Washington is worried it may be more difficult to secure the same cooperation from regional countries amid anti-Israel feelings over the assassination of Haniyeh.
US officials believe an Iranian response will be similar to the April attack, but could be larger and also include Hezbollah fire from Lebanon.
Axios noted that US and Israeli officials said they do not know if Hezbollah will join an Iranian attack or seek revenge in a separate assault of its own. The officials said that both Iran and Hezbollah have not yet completed their attack preparations or gotten final approval at the political level.
The Pentagon and CENTCOM did not comment on the Axios report.
On Friday, the US said it was sending more planes and warships to the region to counter a possible Iranian attack.
A US official told Axios that Washington hoped that the announcement may help in deterring Iran and Hezbollah and as a result make them alter their attack plans.
In its report, Ynet cited an unnamed Israeli security official as saying that the intervention by the US and the defensive coalition it is trying to build have had a real impact on the Iranians and the plans they are formulating.
Asked Saturday by reporters whether Iran will stand down on its intention to take strong military action to avenge the killing of Haniyeh in Tehran, US President Joe Biden said: “I hope so. I don’t know.”
In an apparent indication of defensive measures already being taken, residents of central Israel reported Sunday disruptions to navigation apps like Google Maps, Waze and other systems that use GPS, with some Tel Aviv motorists being shown that they were in Beirut.
GPS disruptions have occurred periodically since October 7.
The IDF has previously said it was jamming GPS signals amid the ongoing war in Gaza, clashes with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and Iran’s attack on Israel in April. There was no immediate IDF comment on the disruptions.
Meanwhile, the French and US foreign ministers called on all sides in the Middle East “to exercise the utmost restraint” to prevent a regional conflict, France’s foreign ministry said Saturday.
French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne discussed the rising tension in the region by telephone with his US counterpart Antony Blinken, said a ministry spokesman.
“They agreed to continue to call on all parties to exercise the utmost restraint to prevent any regional conflagration that would have devastating consequences for the countries in the region,” he said.
They will also continue their joint efforts for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, the spokesman added.
France’s outgoing Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Stephane Sejourne arrives for a meeting with ministers for a progress report on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Hotel Matignon in Paris on July 31, 2024. (Ludovic MARIN / AFP)
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stressed in a phone call with Iran’s Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani that recent developments in the region were “unprecedented, very dangerous” and threatening to stability, Egypt’s government said.
Regional tensions have spiraled dangerously since October 7 when Hamas led a devastating cross-border attack on Israel in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 hostages taken. Israel responded with a military campaign to destroy Hamas and free the hostages.
The day after the Hamas assault, Hezbollah began attacking along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. As Israel and the terror group have traded fire, the violence has increased with Hezbollah carrying out nearly daily attacks, firing dozens of rockets at the north on Saturday.
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Israel braces for Iran attack as US works to revive coalition that foiled April assault
Israel’s leaders said to discuss readiness for ‘all-out war,’ with concerns attack could be on ‘several fronts’; CENTCOM head expected in Israel; Biden says he hopes Tehran stands down
By ToI Staff and Agencies
Today, 12:11 pm
Israel is braced for potential attacks by Iran and Hezbollah in the coming days, and assesses that assaults could come from several fronts, Hebrew media reported Saturday.
The US is scrambling to revive a regional coalition that earlier this year succeeded in almost entirely thwarting a previous direct Iranian attack on Israel, reports said, while Israeli officials concede that this time around there may be damage and casualties.
An Iranian attack could come as soon as Monday, according to the Axios website that cited US and Israeli officials.
Iran, its Lebanese ally Hezbollah, and the Palestinian Islamist terror group Hamas blame Israel for the killing in Tehran on Wednesday of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. His assassination came just hours after a strike claimed by Israel killed Hezbollah’s military chief, Fuad Shukr, on Tuesday evening near Beirut. Israel has claimed responsibility for killing Shukr, but has not officially commented on Haniyeh, whose death Hamas, Iran and their allies have blamed on Israel.
Both Iran and Hezbollah have vowed revenge for the killings that came amid already explosive tensions against the background of Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel that the Iran-backed terror group says are in support of Gaza.
The Israeli security establishment is on “peak alert” and members of a US-led international coalition — including Britain and allied Arab states — aimed at thwarting potential Iranian attacks on “several fronts” are braced to try to deter and intercept them, Channel 12 reported.
Among the precautions taken are patrols by combat aircraft and warships of allied countries in the area, the report said, without citing sources or providing further details.
Israel’s leadership has been holding discussions on how the country would respond to such attacks, including what the network described as “a readiness for an entry into all-out war in this context.”
The Ynet news website similarly reported a round of security meetings in Israel over the weekend to prepare for an attack that could lead to a war on what it said could be “five fronts,” without elaborating.
Ministers have been told to be ready for any scenario and that an attack could come at any time and could involve “thousands” of destroyed sites, the report said.
A man walks past a billboard displaying portraits of Hamas terror group leader Ismail Haniyeh (left) and its Gaza military chief Muhammad Deif, with the word “Assassinated”in Hebrew, in Tel Aviv, on August 2, 2024. (Oren Ziv / AFP)
A senior Israeli official told the outlet that Israel and the US could struggle to stop an attack from several fronts and that the country needs to prepare for “a lot of casualties.” However, such a scenario would also enable Israel to hit back more forcefully, and would see the world rally around Israel, the official claimed.
Channel 12 noted that Saturday’s edition of Iran’s Kayhan pro-regime newspaper, in its editorial, warned that, in contrast to Iran’s almost completely thwarted April attack on Israel, its attack this time would target areas deep inside Israel, such as Tel Aviv and Haifa, strategic centers, and the homes of Israeli officials.
The network also reported that Shiite militias in Iraq are threatening to strike at both Israel and US targets.
Channel 12 said the killing of Hamas’s Haniyeh at an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-run guesthouse in the heart of Tehran left the regime feeling “deeply penetrated” and “completely exposed” to Israeli intelligence. The report noted that Iran had already impacted Israel by prompting the cancellation of flights by numerous foreign airlines and by inducing concern among Israelis over an imminent attack.
As things stand, Home Front Command instructions to the Israeli public are unchanged.
If something changes, the IDF has stressed, the public will immediately be told.
Ynet cited a security official as saying the strategy of not issuing specific new instructions to the public was based on lessons learned from the April standoff with Iran.
“One of the things we understood from April is that we need to maintain routine. The instructions then caused Iran to increase the attack,” the source said. If necessary, they said, “instructions will be quickly released.”
The entrance to a public shelter in Tel Aviv, August 2, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
In April, Iran launched over 300 missiles and drones at Israel in response to the killing of two senior army generals in a Damascus strike that Tehran blamed on Israel.
The wave was intercepted by Israeli air defenses alongside a major US-led coalition of regional forces that included British and French warplanes, as well as, reportedly, intelligence and radar resources from some Arab nations. A few missiles made it through the shield causing very minor damage at an air base, though a young Bedouin girl was seriously injured by falling shrapnel from an intercept.
The US, which has vowed to help defend Israel from Iran, is now hoping to conjure up a similar coordinated array of forces to stop an Iranian attack.
The Axios website on Sunday cited three US and Israeli officials as saying an Iranian attack could come by Monday.
Gen. Michael Kurilla, commander of the US CENTCOM, was expected to arrive in Israel in the region on Monday, the site reported.
The trip to the region, where he has been since Saturday, was planned before the recent developments that stoked the threat of war but he is now expected to cobble together the same coalition of forces that helped thwart Iran’s past direct attack on Israel, according to a US official.
US CENTCOM chief Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla (right) meets with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi (center) and Northern Command chief, Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, in an image published July 17, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
The official said that Kurilla is to make visits to several Gulf countries, as well as Jordan and Israel. In particular, the US wants Jordan again to allow US and Israeli jets into its airspace to intercept incoming Iranian drones.
However, the report said Washington is worried it may be more difficult to secure the same cooperation from regional countries amid anti-Israel feelings over the assassination of Haniyeh.
US officials believe an Iranian response will be similar to the April attack, but could be larger and also include Hezbollah fire from Lebanon.
Axios noted that US and Israeli officials said they do not know if Hezbollah will join an Iranian attack or seek revenge in a separate assault of its own. The officials said that both Iran and Hezbollah have not yet completed their attack preparations or gotten final approval at the political level.
The Pentagon and CENTCOM did not comment on the Axios report.
On Friday, the US said it was sending more planes and warships to the region to counter a possible Iranian attack.
A US official told Axios that Washington hoped that the announcement may help in deterring Iran and Hezbollah and as a result make them alter their attack plans.
In its report, Ynet cited an unnamed Israeli security official as saying that the intervention by the US and the defensive coalition it is trying to build have had a real impact on the Iranians and the plans they are formulating.
Asked Saturday by reporters whether Iran will stand down on its intention to take strong military action to avenge the killing of Haniyeh in Tehran, US President Joe Biden said: “I hope so. I don’t know.”
In an apparent indication of defensive measures already being taken, residents of central Israel reported Sunday disruptions to navigation apps like Google Maps, Waze and other systems that use GPS, with some Tel Aviv motorists being shown that they were in Beirut.
GPS disruptions have occurred periodically since October 7.
The IDF has previously said it was jamming GPS signals amid the ongoing war in Gaza, clashes with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and Iran’s attack on Israel in April. There was no immediate IDF comment on the disruptions.
Meanwhile, the French and US foreign ministers called on all sides in the Middle East “to exercise the utmost restraint” to prevent a regional conflict, France’s foreign ministry said Saturday.
French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne discussed the rising tension in the region by telephone with his US counterpart Antony Blinken, said a ministry spokesman.
“They agreed to continue to call on all parties to exercise the utmost restraint to prevent any regional conflagration that would have devastating consequences for the countries in the region,” he said.
They will also continue their joint efforts for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, the spokesman added.
France’s outgoing Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Stephane Sejourne arrives for a meeting with ministers for a progress report on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Hotel Matignon in Paris on July 31, 2024. (Ludovic MARIN / AFP)
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stressed in a phone call with Iran’s Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani that recent developments in the region were “unprecedented, very dangerous” and threatening to stability, Egypt’s government said.
Regional tensions have spiraled dangerously since October 7 when Hamas led a devastating cross-border attack on Israel in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 hostages taken. Israel responded with a military campaign to destroy Hamas and free the hostages.
The day after the Hamas assault, Hezbollah began attacking along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. As Israel and the terror group have traded fire, the violence has increased with Hezbollah carrying out nearly daily attacks, firing dozens of rockets at the north on Saturday.
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