Netanyahu signals to Iran from the air force base: "We are also preparing for scenarios of challenges from other arenas"
Iran is preparing to attack Israel in the next 48 hours, in an attack that will be aimed at the south or the north of the country - this is what a source reported to the Wall Street Journal this morning (Friday). However, according to a source linked to the Iranian leadership, a final decision on the issue has not yet been made in Tehran.
The security system is on high alert against the possibility that Iran will react radically to the assassination of a senior Revolutionary Guards officer, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, in the heart of Damascus. In Israel, it is estimated that Iran is determined to respond to the targeted countermeasures - but they refused to comment on whether the assessments are based on solid intelligence information that also drew the American President, Joe Biden, to speak about the commitment of the United States to the security of the citizens of the State of Israel against Iranian aggression.
It can be estimated that Iran does not Respond directly from Iran, as it will be followed by a direct response from Israel in Iran. Either way, the threats were repeated two days ago by the Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir Abdallahian, during his visit to Damascus at the end of a meeting with the leaders of the Syrian regime.
The fear in Israel is that the Iranians are preparing for a widespread attack that will cause damage and deaths to the Israeli home front since in their view Israel damaged the consulate that Zahedi was in. Experts in Israel said that it was not a consulate and the Iranians are trying to attribute to Israel damage to Iranian sovereign space - this is how a consulate and an embassy are perceived.
American Defense Minister Lloyd Austin told Defense Minister Galant yesterday in a telephone conversation between them that, "Israel can count on full American support in defending Israel against attacks by Iran." In their second conversation this week, Gallant also detailed to Defense Minister Austin the actions Israel took to prepare for an Iranian attack, and emphasized that Israel would not accept such an attack on its territory.
Iran has never attacked Israel directly from its territory but mainly used terrorist organizations and militias in Gaza, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. Such a direct attack would be unprecedented and could lead to a regional war. Senior Israeli officials said that Israel has indications that the Iranians may attack from their territory using long-range ballistic missiles, drones or cruise missiles.