According to a New York Times publication, the United States has identified increasing readiness across the state • It is unclear if it is preparing for another US attack
It is not clear if this is a preparation for an attack on American targets // Photo: AFP
According to US officials, intelligence agencies in the United States on Saturday identified that Iran's ballistic missile units were on high alert nationwide. As a result, Trump has warned that his country has a target of 52 Iranian targets to the extent that the Islamic Republic attacks. This is how the New York Times reported Sunday morning.
Other sources who spoke to the newspaper said it was unclear whether Iran was distributing ballistic missile units to prevent further US attack, or whether it was preparing for Tehran's attack on US targets.
Trump speech after Suleimani elimination // Photo: Reuters
The report traced the decision-making process around the elimination of Qods Force commander Kassem Suleimani. While senior officials have argued that the UAV attack was intended to prevent future attacks, other officials have questioned the rationale behind the attack.
"A dispute in the administration over the Suleimani liquidation"
In the chaotic days leading up to the elimination of a Quds Force commander, U.S. Army officials assumed the option to eliminate him. At the same time, the elimination was considered the most radical response to Iranian operations in Iraq. Recall, recently, a common base was attacked by US and Iraqi forces. A US citizen working as a contractor in the state was killed and soldiers at the base were injured.
These senior officials did not think President Donald Trump would choose this option. According to the New York Times, even after the Sept. 9 attack, the Pentagon offered "unreasonable" offers to make other options look more reasonable. In addition, according to state and defense officials in the United States, the Suleimani liquidation option was initially denied on December 28. Instead, an attack was approved against the base of Hezbollah regiments in Iraq. As a result, as a result of this action, pro-Iranian activists began an assault on the US embassy in Baghdad.
Supported assault // Photo: Reuters
According to Pentagon officials, the turnaround in the White House came only last Thursday, when Trump decided to eliminate the Qods Force commander and stunned them. According to a senior New York Times official, Trump made the decision despite a controversy over the administration over the meaning of a new intelligence stream.
This information touched on threats to US embassies and consulates and military figures in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. According to the same information, Suleimani completed a tour of these countries and planned an immediate attack that could have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people. General Mark A. Miley, the chairman of the US Army Combined Headquarters, said on Friday it was a matter of days or weeks when asked about the Iranian attack date, without elaborating. He stressed that the information was "clear and unambiguous."
In contrast, some officials expressed doubts about the rationale for eliminating Suleimani, who was responsible for the deaths of many American soldiers over the years. According to a government official, the intelligence was no more than "a normal Monday in the Middle East." He claims that Suleimani's travels were commonplace. The same source described the information about the Iranian attack as stingy, saying it was not an immediate threat. The senior official also claimed that the United States had information about the exchange of messages between Iranian supreme leader Khamenei and Suleimani, saying that such an attack was not approved, and that Quds Force commander was asked to come to Tehran for hearings, at least a week before his death.
Secretary of Defense Mark Asper and General Miley declined to comment for a New York Times article. However, Miley's spokeswoman said without elaborating that "some of the descriptions of the sources are false."
