An American official revealed that "the indicators we have show that Iran is preparing to attack Israel soon, but circumstances may change." He pointed out that Iran was about to carry out a strike against an Israeli target, but America stopped it at the last moment. The American news agency Bloomberg reported that Iran could soon launch significant attacks against Israeli targets. The agency quoted several officials as saying that the United States and its allies believe that large missile or drone strikes by Iran or its proxies against military and government targets in Israel are imminent.
Axios, an American news site, reported on Wednesday that several Israeli government officials stated that a senior American military commander responsible for the Middle East is expected to visit Israel on Thursday "to coordinate regarding a potential attack on Israel by Iran and its proxies."
U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters that his country's commitment to Israel's security against threats from Iran and its proxies is "firm." He added, "We will do everything we can to protect Israel's security."
The Iranian mission to the United Nations reported that Tehran could have refrained from responding to the Israeli strike on its consulate in Damascus had the United Nations Security Council condemned the attack. The mission added on the social media platform "X": "If the United Nations Security Council had condemned the aggressive action deserving of censure by the Zionist regime against our diplomatic mission in Damascus and held the culprits accountable, it might have spared Iran from punishing this rogue regime."
The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Thursday that Iran had postponed an attack against Israel at the last moment due to American warnings, "but it is still expected." The newspaper stated: "There is accumulating evidence that Iran has been preparing in recent days to deliver a retaliatory strike against Israel in response to the assassination of Quds Force commander Mohsen Reza Zahradi in Damascus, but at the last moment, it postponed execution—or decided to change the nature of the operation—perhaps as a result of explicit warnings issued on Wednesday by senior members of President Biden's administration."
In this context, an American official said, "We are communicating with the Iranians through secret channels, and our message to them is do not attack Israel." The Iranian embassy in Syria had been hit by a missile attack on April 1, resulting in the deaths of seven military officers, including leaders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, alongside six Syrian civilians. Tehran blamed Israel for the attack and vowed to retaliate.
