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WASHINGTON — The United States is on alert for possible attacks on U.S. facilities in Israel or the Middle East in retaliation for the Israeli attack on Syria that killed an Iranian commander, two U.S. officials told USA TODAY. .
Iran vowed retaliation on Monday after suspected Israeli warplanes bombed its embassy in Damascus, killing a top Iranian military commander. This is a significant escalation of Israel’s war with its regional adversaries.
The Biden administration is concerned that Iran could attack American military bases in Iraq and Syria, and the U.S. military is on high alert, officials said.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced that seven military advisers were killed in the attack on Damascus. Among them is Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in the Quds Force, an elite foreign intelligence militia.
Iran promised to “take a decisive response.”
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The White House announced Thursday night that President Joe Biden discussed the Iranian threat in a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Measures are being taken to protect U.S. forces and interests in the region, officials said Friday.
Biden officials have declined to speak publicly about the U.S. intelligence community behind the reported Iranian threat. They acknowledged that Iran poses a real threat to Israel’s security.
Prime Minister Netanyahu warned Thursday night that Israel would punish “those who harm us or those who attempt to harm us.”
“For many years, Iran has acted against us both directly and through its proxies. Therefore, Israel has acted against Iran and its proxies both defensively and offensively,” Prime Minister Netanyahu told the Security Cabinet. are also taking action.”
In addition to working closely with the presidential government, Israel has numerous ties to arch-enemy Iran, which supports Hezbollah militias in southern Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, Houthi militias in Yemen, and Shiite militias in Iraq. It is embroiled in a conflict that spans many areas. Syria’s Bashar al-Assad.
The United States struck Iranian proxy forces in Iraq and Syria on February 2, after US forces in the region endured more than 150 attacks in the past four months.
Contributor: Dan Morrison, USA TODAY. Reuters.
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