Iran is allegedly preparing a ballistic missile strike on Israel, several media outlets have quoted anonymous US officials as saying after Israeli ground forces entered Lebanon.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced “limited localized, and targeted ground raids” against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon in the early hours of Tuesday, after more than a week of intensive airstrikes.
”The US has indications that Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel,” Axios reported on Tuesday, citing a senior US official who wished to remain anonymous.
A senior Israeli official told the outlet that the US warning came at around noon local time, and that a strike was expected “in the next few hours.”
The US embassy in West Jerusalem has instructed all its staff and their families to “shelter in place” due to potential rocket and drone strikes, but did not specifically mention Iran.
”We are actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack,” the anonymous White House official told Axios, as well as CBS and CNN. “A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran.”
IDF spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari said the US has informed Israel of “Iranian preparations to fire missiles at Israel imminently,” but that no “air threat from Iran” has yet been detected.
”We are at peak readiness in offense and defense together with our partners from the US and are following the developments in Iran together,” Hagari told reporters. “An Iranian attack on Israel will have consequences.”
The US official cited by CNN said Washington expected the attack to be “similar” to the one Iran carried out in April. The drone and missile barrage was the first-ever Iranian strike on Israeli soil. Tehran had announced it via the UN and said it was a reprisal for the Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, which violated diplomatic conventions. The strike also killed Iranian General Mohammad Reza Zahedi.
During the April attack, the US and Israel claimed to have shot down most of the incoming weapons, while Israel said the handful that got through did not cause much damage. Tehran, meanwhile, insisted that the objective of the strike was achieved.
Iran also vowed to respond to the Israeli assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in early August, but ended up not doing so. In mid-September, Israel launched a campaign against Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shia militia in Lebanon.