Iran could attack Israel with no warning within days, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said Thursday as the region remained on edge.
“An attack could come with little or no warning and certainly could come in the coming days, and we have to be ready for it,” he told reporters during a virtual briefing. “But the messaging effort continues and will continue, because what we’re really after is de-escalation and trying to prevent this.”
Washington has sent messages to Iran through third parties to underscore this message, Kirby said, as all eyes were on the Gaza hostage and ceasefire talks in Doha, Qatar.
The US has beefed up its military presence in the region in advance of a possible Iranian attack and has stated repeatedly that it is prepared to help defend Israel.
In April, the US led a coalition of five armies that shot down 300 Iranian drones and missiles during the first and last attack by Tehran on Israel. Those armies included Israel, Jordan, France, and the UK.
Kirby said the US did not have a firm sense of what kind of an attack Iran might launch, which is why it has worked diplomatically to de-escalate the situation.
“We’re still working very hard diplomatically to prevent that outcome, to prevent… an attack, but we also have to be ready for one,” he said, citing US aerial and marine forces being sent to the Middle East, including a guided-missile submarine.
Preparing for Iran's attack
The US is making sure that “we’ve got what we need in place” so that American and Israeli forces will be prepared, Kirby said.
In light of the regional tensions, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné were planning a quick visit to Israel on Friday.
The US hopes that the finalization of a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal would prevent Iranian and Hezbollah reprisal attacks for twin assassinations two weeks ago. The first, which Israel took credit for, was of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut. The second, which it has not claimed responsibility for, was of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. It is widely presumed that Israel killed Haniyeh.
Israel has been at war with Iranian proxies Hamas in Gaza on its southern border and Hezbollah in Lebanon on its northern border since October 7. The cross-border violence has been viewed as a constrained war, even though thousands of civilians have been unable to live in their homes on either side of the borders.
Israel and the region have been on edge for more than two weeks, expecting an Iranian attack at any moment.According to Meir Javedanfar, an expert on Iranian affairs and a lecturer at Reichman University in Herzliya, Iran is in “a difficult position because if they attack, then they could see a retaliation from Israel that could be quite painful.
And if they don’t attack, then it could be taken as a sign of weakness. So, this is a very difficult moment for Iran’s supreme leader. But for now, he’s waiting to make his decision.”
US special envoy Amos Hochstein was in Beirut on Wednesday in an effort to de-escalate the Israel-Hezbollah tensions and prevent a smaller constrained war from escalating into a third Israeli-Lebanese war.
Kirby said it did not appear as if Hezbollah wanted to see such an escalation despite its rhetoric.
“We still haven’t seen signs that Hezbollah wants to jump in with both feet here and start a new war on a second front at this time,” he said, adding: “That doesn’t mean that there’s still no threat from Hezbollah. Of course, there is.”
Regarding Hamas, Kirby said the IDF had “done an effective job at dramatically reducing their military capacity and capability” in Gaza.
“I won’t go so far as to say that they’ve eliminated the military threat that Hama poses to the safety and security of Israel,” he said. “There are still fighters alive and fighting. There are still tunnels that they use to move about and to store arms and ammunition, and they still have resources available to them.
“But there has been a tremendous amount of pressure put on Hamas, and from a military perspective, [the Israelis] have definitely achieved the vast majority of their objectives,” Kirby said.