Israel-Hamas War: What happened on day 188?

Israel's Home Front Command issued an alert late Thursday night warning of a suspected terrorist infiltration in Neve Daniel in the West Bank.

This is a developing story.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday night that "Israel can count on full American support in defending Israel against attacks from Iran."

The United States expects an attack by Iran against Israel but one that would not be big enough to draw Washington into war, a US official said late on Thursday.

The White House said earlier Washington did not want conflict to spread in the Middle East and the US had told Iran it was not involved in an air strike against a top Iranian military commander in Damascus. The White House said it warned Iran to not use that attack as a pretext to escalate further in the region.

US Senator Marco Rubio of Florida wrote on Thursday that "Iran wants to launch a large-scale attack from its territory" in retaliation for the Damascus airstrike, widely attributed to Israel, that killed one of its senior generals.

He claimed that "Israel will immediately respond with an even more severe counterattack inside Iran." 

Rubio also added, "What happens next is the most dangerous moment in the Middle East since 1973," referring to the Yom Kippur War, when Israel faced multiple Arab armies. 

Yesterday, Bloomberg News reported that according to intelligence information in Washington, there is a fear of a missile attack on Israel in an immediate time frame. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Israel’s enemies, including Iran, that it would not hesitate to strike if provoked, as the international community sent out warning signals of a pending Iranian attack against the Jewish state.

“Whoever harms us, we will harm them,” Netanyahu said during a visit to the Tel Now Air Base to speak with the 133rd Squadron, which operates F-15 fighter jets.

“We are prepared to meet all of the security needs of the State of Israel, both defensively and offensively,” he stated.

Netanyahu added that Israel faced “challenging times,” including a war against Hamas in Gaza and efforts to negotiate a deal for the return of the remaining 133 hostages held there.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz was more blunt in a post on X Wednesday, when he stated that “If Iran attacks from its territory, Israel will respond and attack Iran.” 

The United States said on Thursday it had restricted its employees in Israel and their family members from personal travel outside the greater Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Be'er Sheva areas amid Iran's threats to retaliate against its regional adversary.

Iran has vowed revenge for the April 1 airstrike on its embassy compound in Damascus, ratcheting up tension in a region already strained by the Gaza war.

"Out of an abundance of caution, U.S. government employees and their family members are restricted from personal travel outside the greater Tel Aviv (including Herzliya, Netanya, and Even Yehuda), Jerusalem, and Be'er Sheva areas until further notice," the US embassy said in a security alert on its website on Thursday. "U.S. government personnel are authorized to transit between these three areas for personal travel."

Iran has signaled to Washington that it will respond to Israel's attack on its Syrian embassy in a way that aims to avoid major escalation and it will not act hastily, as Tehran presses demands including a Gaza truce, Iranian sources said.

Iran's message to Washington was conveyed by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian during a visit on Sunday to the Gulf Arab state of Oman, which has often acted as an intermediary between Tehran and Washington, the sources said.

A White House spokesperson declined to comment on any messages from Iran but said the United States has communicated to Iran that it was not involved in the strike on the embassy.

Iran's foreign ministry was not immediately available to comment. The Omani government did not immediately respond to emailed questions for comment, sent during the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday.

A source familiar with US intelligence was not aware of the message conveyed via Oman but said Iran has “been very clear” that its response to the attack on its Damascus embassy compound would be “controlled” and “non-escalatory” and planned “to use regional proxies to launch a number of attacks on Israel.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spent the past 24 hours trying to send a clear message to Iran that escalating the conflict in the Middle East is not in the world's interest as the threat of a direct attack on Israel from Tehran looms. 

"We continue to be concerned about the risk of escalation in the Middle East, something we have been working to mitigate and contain since the attacks of October 7," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said. "And specifically about the threats made in recent days by Iran against the State of Israel and the Israeli people," Miller said. 

Blinken spoke with the foreign ministers from Turkey, China and Saudi Arabia urging them to also send a message against escalation to Iran. Blinken then spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Miller said. 

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said on Thursday he was still seeking a deal for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release after an Israeli strike killed three of his sons in an attack in Gaza.

Speaking in Qatar while receiving condolences, Haniyeh said “The interests of the Palestinian people are placed above everything” when asked if the strike would affect the talks on a truce and hostage release.

"We are seeking to reach a deal but the occupation is still procrastinating and evading a response to the demands," he told Reuters.

The strike raised fears among families of hostages it would derail efforts to secure the release of the remaining 133 captives.

Israel was on a high state of alert for an Iranian attack late Thursday night as world leaders worked frantically to avert direct confrontation between the two arch-foes.

“We’re on a high state of alert and preparedness,” IDF spokesperson Rear-Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters on Thursday night, adding that the Jewish state faces danger on all fronts.

Still, as of Thursday night, there had been no special instructions issued by the IDF’s Home Front Command, but Hagari said that Israelis would be immediately notified of any steps that would need to be taken.

“A direct attack from Iranian soil would provide clear proof of its intentions to inflame the Middle East and stop hiding behind its proxies,” he said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Israel’s enemies, including Iran, that it would not hesitate to strike if provoked.