An American official stated on Friday that the United States is on high alert and preparing for a possible Iranian attack targeting Israeli or American assets in the region in response to the Israeli bombing of the Iranian embassy in Syria. Confirming a report from CNN indicating a potential attack in the coming days, the official said, "We are certainly in a high state of vigilance."
Israeli warplanes bombed the Iranian embassy in Damascus on Monday, resulting in the death of an Iranian military commander and marking a significant escalation in Israel's conflict with its regional adversaries. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard reported that seven Iranian military advisors were killed in the strike, including Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in the Quds Force, which is the external arm of the Revolutionary Guard. Iran stated that it reserves the right to "take decisive action."
US President Joe Biden discussed the threat posed by Iran in a phone call on Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Moreover, CNN reported on Friday that an administration official indicated the United States and Israel believe an Iranian response to the bombing of its consulate in Syria is "inevitable." The unnamed official clarified that the United States is in a heightened state of alert for a "major" attack from Iran within the next week in response to the strike that resulted in the deaths of Iranian leaders.
The network reported that as of today, neither the American nor Israeli governments know when Iran plans to respond or how that response would manifest. However, the American network noted that both governments are working diligently to formulate a stance ahead of what is to come, "as they expect that the Iranian attack may take several different forms and that American and Israeli assets and personnel are at risk of being targeted."
