Iranian forces are positioned to strike Israel in response to its retaliatory strike last month, Al Arabiya reported on Sunday, citing sources familiar with the subject.
The report comes a day after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a new wave of threats against Israel and the United States - promising a “crushing response” to Israel’s October retaliation.
The anticipated attack will be the third directly launched by Tehran on Israel since Hamas’s October 7 attacks. While Israel regularly faces aerial assaults from Iran’s proxy groups in the region, Tehran’s direct assaults have worried international bodies of escalating violence in the Middle East.
It remains unclear if Tehran plans to assault Israel from Iranian soil, as intelligence reports indicate that it may launch the attack from Iraq. The response could also potentially include Tehran’s proxy groups Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and or militia groups in Iraq.
In a recent interview with the Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, Haidar al-Lami, a member of the political bureau of Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, an Iraqi terrorist militia, said that his organization was coordinating with Iran to strike Israel.
Preparing for Iran's third direct attack
The United States has begun preparing for the attack, announcing that the B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers had arrived in the region.
B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers from Minot Air Force Base's 5th Bomb Wing arrived in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. pic.twitter.com/6mDs4n5G2u
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) November 2, 2024
The Biden administration recently cautioned Iran against launching another attack on Israel, emphasizing that it could not restrain an Israeli response if provoked again, Walla reported on Saturday evening.
A senior US official disclosed to Walla that Washington informed Tehran it would not be able to prevent Israel from reacting or ensure that any response would remain as limited and precise as before. This communication marked a rare direct message between the US and Iran.
Israel conducted retaliatory strikes on Iranian military sites, disabling its ability to produce ballistic missiles, in response to Iran’s attack at the beginning of October.
Iran’s October attack was said to have struck some military sites and resulted in the death of one Palestinian man in the West Bank.
Iran’s first direct assault came in response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh - an attack Israel neither accepted nor denied responsibility for.
WALLA contributed to this report.