Iran has readied more than 100 cruise missiles as part of its “imminent” plan to attack Israel, while the United States has deployed additional forces to the Middle East amid concerns that such an attack could escalate into a full-scale war, according to intelligence and multiple media reports.
According to officials briefed on the situation, both ABC News and CNN reported that the United States has seen Iran readying over 100 cruise missiles, raising concerns that they may be gearing up for an attack on Israel. ABC News also reported that Iran has kept ready a large number of drones, which could potentially be used in an attack on Israel.
Iran Ready With It Missiles
On Friday, The Pentagon announced that the United States would enhance its presence in the region, with the USS Dwight Eisenhower being deployed to the Red Sea as a signal to Tehran.
Iran has openly threatened retaliation against Israel following an attack in Syria last week, which Iran alleges was an Israeli airstrike on an Iranian diplomatic facility in Damascus.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, pledged revenge following the Damascus incident, for which Tel Aviv has not yet claimed responsibility.
On Friday, US Defense officials announced that they are deploying “additional assets to the area,” shortly after the US Embassy in Jerusalem placed its staff on lockdown. The USS Dwight Eisenhower, capable of intercepting missiles and drones launched by Iran, is part of the deployment.
President Biden said on Friday that he expects Iran’s potential attack on Israel “sooner than later” and conveyed a clear message to Tehran: “don’t.”
“We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel and help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” Biden said.
Biden Vows to Help Israel
When asked how imminent an attack on Israel would be, Biden refrained from discussing classified information but remarked, “my expectation is sooner than later.”
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In response, former President Donald Trump criticized Biden, labeling him “pretty pathetic” and claiming that if he were still in office, Iran wouldn’t be targeting Israel. Trump said, “They wouldn’t be attacking Israel if I were president, that I can tell you. And they never did.”
The backdrop to this exchange involves an incident on April 1, where Israel was widely accused of orchestrating an attack that destroyed Iran’s consulate building in Damascus, resulting in the deaths of seven Revolutionary Guards, including two generals.
The strike razed a five-story building adjacent to the Iranian embassy in Damascus.
General Mohammad Reza Zahedi was among those who were killed in the attack. He had held various commands within the foreign operations arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, known as the Quds Force.
REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo
Khamenei issued a warning on Wednesday, declaring that Israel “must be punished and will be punished,” shortly after one of his advisers suggested that Israeli embassies were no longer secure.
In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz promptly said on the social media platform X that “if Iran launches an attack from its territory, Israel will retaliate and strike Iran.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged a forceful response to any aggression from Iran, heightening tensions in the Middle East.
