Isreal remains on heightened alert for a potential imminent strike from Iran, particularly following the recent airstrike in Syria that resulted in the deaths of two Iranian generals. According to information from the two US officials briefed by CBS News, the attack against Isreal Defence Forces positions could involve over 100 drones and numerous missiles. While the scale of such an assault would pose significant challenges for Isreal’s defence capabilities, there is also speculation that Iran might opt for a smaller-scale attack to mitigate further escalation of tensions.
‘The strike plans are in front of the Supreme Leader and he is still weighing the political risk,” an adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of Iran stated earlier.
Nevertheless, the US experts cautioned that some form of retaliation for the Isreal strike on April 1, which resulted in the deaths of seven Iranian military officers, is anticipated imminently.
“Whoever harms us, we will harm them,” Israeli Prime Minister emphasised on Thursday during a visit to an IDF airbase.
“We are prepared….both defensively and offensively,” the 74-year-old boasted.
However, Sima Shine, a security expert and former Mossad official, expressed to CBS that the current scenario is causing her the greatest concern she has experienced in several months.
“Anxiety over a regional war is probably high ‘on both side’ Israel and Iran,” she added.
“They will try to do it on the military or some military asset,” Shine also confirmed Iran’s potential targets on Israel soil.
“But the question will be the damage. If there would be many injured people, killed or injured… I think it has the potential for a huge escalation,” she threatened.
She noted that the true challenge for Iran might lie in orchestrating a retaliatory strike in Syria without exacerbating tensions in the region further. Shine also suggested that Israel may choose to exercise restraint in its response to Iran’s anticipated actions.
The April 1 attack, which obliterated Iran’s consulate building in Damascus and resulted in the deaths of seven Revolutionary Guards, including two generals, was largely attributed to Israel.
US officials are ‘really trying to avoid war,’ Joint Chiefs Chairman General Charles Q. Brown Jr. told CBS on Friday morning.
“This part of the dialongue that i have with my counterparts within the region, to include the Israeli chief of defence, who i talked to yesterday,” he said of the US efforts to contain the solution.
American forces, he added, were ‘doing things not only to prevent a war but at the same time, one of my primary things is to make sure all forces in the region are protected.”
The US Department cautioned Americans in Israel on Thursday against outside major cities, highlighting that these urban centres benefit from greater protection provided by the Iron Dome missiles defence system.