Israel and Iran are both in an unprecedented state of alert, along with U.S. forces deployed at several military bases in the Middle East, particularly in Iraq and Syria, in preparation for an Iranian retaliatory strike that has become almost certain and imminent, according to several Western officials. While the timing remains uncertain, some indications suggest it may occur after Eid al-Fitr. Sources familiar with intelligence information have confirmed that Washington and its allies believe Tehran's response to the Israeli strike on its consulate in Damascus two weeks ago is imminent. Additionally, sources indicated that the retaliatory attacks likely to be carried out by Iran directly or through its regional proxies will target military and government sites in the heart of Israel, as reported by Bloomberg. It is also expected that the potential attack could take place in the coming days using precision missiles or drones. Furthermore, one source emphasized that this attack is viewed as merely a matter of time, according to U.S. and Israeli intelligence assessments.
The U.S. administration has reaffirmed its steadfast support for Tel Aviv against any potential Iranian attacks. For its part, the Israeli government has vowed to respond to any attacks against the country. In recent days, the Israeli military has disrupted GPS signals over several cities, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, to thwart any missile or drone attacks that might be launched by Iran or its supported groups in the region. This disruption has caused significant disturbances in the daily lives of Israelis, leading to a general sense of frustration.
This situation has escalated tensions following the unprecedented targeting of the Iranian consulate in a region already fraught with tension since the outbreak of the war in Gaza. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced on April 1 the death of Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahidi, commander of the Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon, and his deputy Mohammad Hadi Rahimi, along with five accompanying officers, in an Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus. This attack represented a painful blow, perhaps the most painful for Tehran since the assassination of former Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani near Baghdad Airport in 2020. This has prompted all Iranian officials at the highest levels of power to assert that a retaliatory response is inevitable, threatening that it will be painful, amid expectations that the response will be direct and will affect the Israeli interior.
