Iran threatens to strike Israel, US intelligence warns

The US reportedly moves warships into position to protect Israel and American forces in the region from an Iranian attack that would trigger a major military response from the Jewish state.

A member of the Imam Ali Battalions holds up a picture depicting Iran's late and current supreme leaders Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, right, and Ali Khamenei, in Baghdad, Iraq, in early April. Picture: AFP

The US has reportedly rushed warships into position to protect Israel and American forces in the region, as Israel prepares for a direct attack from Iran within days or even hours, in a move that would trigger a major military response from the Jewish state and risk a regional war in the Middle East.

The US moves included repositioning two destroyers, one of which was already in the region and another that was redirected there, the Wall St Journal reports. An official told the newspaper at least one of the vessels carried the Aegis missile-defence system.

A number of American F15-e fighters have also been moved from RAF Lakenheath in the UK to the Middle East, according to military blogger OSINTdefender.

The moves comes as Joe Biden told reporters the US expects an attack “sooner rather than later.”

Asked how imminent an attack may be, the US President said he didn’t want to share classified information, but “my expectation is sooner [rather] than later.”

He repeated the warning he gave Iran on Friday: “Don’t.”

“We are devoted to the defence of Israel, we will support Israel, we will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said.

#BREAKING: President Biden says he expects an attack by Iran "sooner rather than later."

Says Iran will not succeed and that the US is devoted to the defense of Israel.

In a message to Iran, Biden says, "Don't!" pic.twitter.com/XNEqXZslbn

— Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) April 12, 2024

Earlier this morning (AEDT), the Israeli military intercepted drones of rockets and drones fired by Hezbollah over northern Israel. The Israeli military said about 40 rockets had been launched, some of which were intercepted, along with two kamikaze drones. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Footage showing Dozens of Interceptions by the Israeli Iron Dome and MIM-104 “Patriot” Air Defense Batteries over Northern Israel within the last few minutes following a Large Barrage of Rockets and Drones launched by Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon; in my opinion this could be an… pic.twitter.com/PgRpUlZsaL

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 12, 2024

US Central Command chief General Erik Kurilla in Israel to discuss a potential Iranian attack, has reportedly extended his visit by a day amid heightening expectations the attack could come as soon as today.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told General Kurilla: “We are prepared to defend ourselves on the ground and in the air, in close co-operation with our partners, and we will know how to respond.”

Meanwhile, Germany, France and Norway have told their citizens to leave Iran immediately as the situation escalates. Reuters has reportedly told its journalists in southern Iraq to prepare for Iranian ballistic missiles to pass through airspace over the city of Basra.

The region is on a knife-edge after US intelligence reports said an Iranian attack on Israel was imminent and could take place inside Israel rather than on Israeli targets outside the country.

The threat, which represents the most serious risk yet of a major escalation in the six-month Israel-Hamas conflict, follows an Israeli strike in Damascus last week that killed top Iranian military officials, including a senior member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force.

Iran has vowed to avenge the Israeli attack at a time and place of its choosing, but a US official quoted by The Wall Street Journal said American intelligence reports indicated an Iranian retaliatory strike within days, “possibly on Israeli soil”.

Israel has strengthened its air defence units and paused leave for combat forces in response to the threat, while US government employees in Israel have been told to restrict travel inside the country.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Picture: AFP

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said any attack on Israel would trigger an immediate military response from the Israeli Defence Forces. “Whoever harms us, we will harm them,” Mr Netanyahu said. “We are prepared to meet all of the security needs of the state of Israel, both defensively and offensively.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said: “If Iran attacks from its territory – Israel will respond and attack in Iran.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is reportedly considering several options to strike Israeli interests, including a direct attack on Israel with sophisticated medium-range missiles.

Social-media accounts close to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard have posted videos showing simulated missile attacks on Israel’s Haifa airport and its nuclear facility in Dimona.

Iran has so far refused to attack Israel directly in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, preferring to rely on its proxies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon to launch attacks on northern Israel while its pro-Iranian militias in Syria and Iraq have launched sporadic attacks on US forces in those countries. A US-led naval coalition has also engaged in retaliatory attacks on Houthi rebels in Yemen which have been launching missiles and drone strikes at international shipping in the Red Sea.

But Iran has been incensed by Israel’s attack last week which killed General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, who managed Iranian paramilitary operations in Syria and Lebanon, and who was the highest-ranking Iranian military official to be killed since the assassination in 2020 of General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad. At least six other senior Iranian militants were also killed in the strike.

An Israeli military spokesman said intelligence showed the building hit in Damascus wasn’t a diplomatic facility but a building the Quds Force used and it was disguised as a civilian site.

Mr Ali Khamenei has warned that Israel “must be punished and will be punished” as a result of the attack. However The Wall Street Journal reported that he was concerned a direct attack could backfire, with the projectiles being intercepted and Israel responding with a massive retaliation on Iran’s strategic infrastructure.

“The strike plans are in front of the Supreme Leader and he is still weighing the political risk,” an adviser said.

The scenarios involve attacks by Tehran’s proxies in Syria and Iraq, for which Iran delivered drones out of warehouses in recent days, according to advisers to the Revolutionary Guards and the Syrian government. Iran and its allies could also attack the Golan – a disputed territory annexed by Israel from Syria in 1981 – or even Gaza, they said, to avoid an attack within Israel’s internationally recognised territory.

Another option would be to strike at Israeli embassies, notably in the Arab world.

Joe Biden warned Iran was threatening to launch a significant attack on Israel and offered “iron-clad” support from the US if it is attacked by Iran. The US President said he had told Mr Netanyahu that “our commitment to Israel’s security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is iron-clad”.

The US commitment came amid growing tensions between Mr Biden and Mr Netanyahu about Israel’s conduct on the war in the Gaza Strip, with the US accusing Israel of not doing enough to protect civilian lives and ensure more aid supplies into the besieged enclave.

The US has reportedly moved an aircraft carrier strike group led by USS Eisenhower, away from the coast of Yemen to the northern waters of the Red Sea, closer to Israel to help defend against a large-scale missile or drone attack on Israel by Iran or its proxies.

General Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of US Central Command, which is responsible for military operations in the Middle East, was in Israel on Thursday, defence officials said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been leading a diplomatic campaign to try to persuade Iran not to take military action, telling foreign ministers of China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia that “escalation is not in anyone’s interest and that countries should urge Iran not to escalate”.

The threat of an attack from Iran comes as Israel continues to plan for an expected ground operation against the south Gazan city of Rafah which is the last remaining stronghold for Hamas militants. Mr Netanyahu has insisted that Israel will attack Rafah to destroy the remnants of Hamas despite warnings by the US, Australia and European nations that the cost in civilian lives would be too high, given that the city is home to more than 1.5 million Gazans who have been displaced from their homes.