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The US expects Iran to carry out attacks against multiple targets inside Israel in the coming days, as the Biden administration remains on high alert for potentially explosive situations, and the US expects Iran to carry out attacks against multiple targets inside Israel, including those fired at allies. It stands ready to assist in intercepting the weapons, sources told CNN. It continues to be a highly volatile and unpredictable period in the Middle East.
President Joe Biden on Friday sought to issue another stern public warning, predicting an Iranian attack would occur “sooner or later” and saying his message to Iran is simply “stop.”
The start of a state-on-state conflict between Iran and Israel would signal a serious escalation in the region, a scenario the United States had hoped to avoid since the Israeli-Hamas war began in October. .
As of late Friday, the United States said Iranian proxies may also be involved in future attacks, and targets could be both inside Israel and the surrounding region, according to senior government officials and people familiar with the matter. I thought it was expensive. The United States’ readiness to intercept weapons fired toward Israel underlines the continued level of cooperation between the two militaries.
The United States has indicated that Iran is moving military assets such as drones and cruise missiles within the country and preparing to attack Israeli targets from within its territory, according to two U.S. intelligence officials. He is said to have been observing. One of the officials said the United States observed Iran preparing as many as 100 cruise missiles.
It is not clear whether Iran is preparing an attack from its own territory as part of an initial attack, or whether it is seeking to thwart a possible Israeli or U.S. counterattack on its territory.
At the White House on Friday, Biden answered angry questions from reporters, including whether U.S. troops were in danger, and emphasized his administration’s commitment to Israel’s security.
“We are dedicated to the defense of Israel,” he said. “We support Israel, we support Israel’s defense, but Iran will not succeed.”
There remains a “realistic,” “credible” and “feasible” threat that Iran launches an attack after Israel attacked Iranian diplomatic facilities in Syria last week, killing three Iranian generals. The White House then announced Friday.
Biden warned this week that Iran was threatening a “significant attack” against Israel, but he is receiving constant updates on the situation from his national security team.
Amid the looming threat from Iran, the United States and several other countries, including the United Kingdom and France, have issued new travel guidelines for Israeli government employees.
“We are monitoring this very closely,” said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, but declined to provide information on the expected timing of the threat.
The U.S. Navy stationed in the Red Sea has previously intercepted long-range missiles fired at Israel by Yemen’s Houthis. U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria could also intercept drones and rockets aimed at northern Israel, depending on where they were launched.
As Israel and the United States prepare for a potential attack on Iran, the Pentagon is also transferring additional assets to the Middle East “to strengthen regional deterrence efforts and strengthen force protection for U.S. forces,” a U.S. defense official said. told CNN.
The Pentagon has been particularly focused on strengthening air defenses for U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, which suffered more than 100 attacks by Iranian-backed proxy forces between October and February. In January, three U.S. service members were killed when a drone breached U.S. military air defenses at the Tower 22 base in Jordan.
The United States does not expect Iran or its proxies to attack U.S. forces as part of retaliation, but it is transferring assets just in case.
“It would be imprudent not to consider our position in this region to make sure we are adequately prepared,” Kirby said.
CNN reported last week that the United States is on high alert and actively preparing for an Iranian attack targeting Israeli or American assets in the region. Officials said such attacks could occur as soon as this week.
CNN reported earlier this week that an Iranian attack on Israel would likely be carried out by Iranian proxies in the region, rather than directly by Iran, according to two U.S. intelligence officials familiar with the matter.
Sources said Tehran is wary of a dramatic escalation in fighting and does not want to give the United States or its allies an excuse to attack Iran directly.
Sources said Iran and its proxy militias do not appear to be prepared to attack U.S. forces or other assets in the region, but Iran does not have full command and control over all proxy forces and therefore has no ability to attack the U.S. He pointed out that there was a possibility of an attack. Assets cannot be completely eliminated.
Sources told CNN that U.S. intelligence agencies say Iran is encouraging several proxy militias to simultaneously launch large-scale attacks against Israel using drones and missiles. He said he was assessing the possibility of an attack as early as this week.
“The threat is very clear and credible,” one of the people said. “They are currently gearing up to carry out the attack. They are just waiting for the right time.”
Biden spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week about the threat of an attack on Iran.
A direct attack on Israel by Iran is one of the worst-case scenarios the Biden administration is preparing to ensure a rapid escalation of the already chaotic situation in the Middle East. Such an attack could escalate the war between Israel and Hamas into a broader regional conflict, something Biden has long sought to avoid.
Kirby said Biden is briefed multiple times a day.
Kirby said Friday that U.S. officials are in “constant communication” with the Israeli side on the issue and are taking steps to ensure Israel can defend itself.
“We are mindful of what we believe to be a very common and very credible threat from Iran in terms of a potential attack on Israel,” Kirby said Friday. Ta.
He noted that the commander of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Eric Kurilla, visited Israel on Friday to “dialogue directly with our Israeli Defense Forces counterparts.”
Kurilla’s visit to Israel was brought forward in anticipation of Iran’s response to Israel’s targeting of the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, last week.
One U.S. official said there were multiple conversations in which U.S. officials urged Israel not to escalate the situation by retaliating against Iran.
Separately, U.S. officials were frustrated with Israeli officials about the lack of intelligence they shared with Israel before carrying out the attack in Damascus last week, sources told CNN. . Another U.S. official said Israel notified U.S. officials only when its planes were already en route to Syria.
“We were not aware that Israel was planning to carry out this airstrike in advance,” the official said. “Minutes before the incident, when Israeli military planes were already in flight, Israel contacted U.S. officials and informed them that it was conducting an attack in Syria. It did not include details such as whether or not the attack would be carried out, and the attack had already begun before this information reached the U.S. government.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with the foreign ministers of Turkey, China and Saudi Arabia to pressure Iran not to escalate the conflict in the Middle East following Iranian threats against Israel, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Thursday. announced.
Miller said the United States has been “working with our European allies and partners over the past few days” to convey a similar message regarding Iran. German Foreign Minister Annalena Verbock and British Foreign Minister David Cameron met with Iran’s foreign minister in recent days.
“We want to make clear to all countries that appear to have any ties to Iran that it is in their interest to not use that relationship to send a message to Iran that they should not escalate this conflict,” Blinken said. But I will let those countries speak for themselves as to what actions they will or will not take,” Miller said.
The U.S. State Department has restricted travel to Israel for U.S. government employees following Iran’s public threats against Israel.
“Out of an abundance of caution, U.S. government employees and their families are restricted from personal travel outside of the greater Tel Aviv area (including Herzliya, Netanya, and Ifda), Jerusalem, and Beersheba until further notice.” Stated. A security alert posted Thursday by the U.S. Embassy said that “U.S. government personnel are permitted to travel between these three regions for personal travel.”
“The security environment remains complex and may change rapidly in response to political developments and recent events,” the warning said.
France has advised its citizens to “absolutely refrain” from traveling to Iran, Lebanon, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories due to the risk of “military escalation,” the French Foreign Ministry said Friday.
The ministry added that families of diplomatic personnel in Iran’s capital Tehran will be repatriated to France and civil servants will be prohibited from serving in these countries and regions.
The French Foreign Minister announced new recommendations after a crisis meeting on the region, the ministry said in a post to X.
This heading and article have been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Oren Lieberman, Zachary Cohen, Jennifer Hansler and Piper Hudspeth Blackburn contributed to this report.
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