This handout photo provided by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) official website Sepah News on January 17 2023, shows a navy vessel of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) taking part in a military drill in the south of iran. (Credit: Sepah News/AFP)
Washington expects Tehran or its regional proxies to launch significant retaliatory attacks against Israel in the near future, following the strike attributed to Israel on April 1 on the Iranian embassy in Damascus, according to reports in multiple American media outlets.
A source close to American intelligence told Bloomberg that it is more a matter of "when" these attacks will occur than "if." An Iranian news agency published a report on X Wednesday stating that all airspace above Tehran had been closed for military exercises, before deleting it and denying having released this information.
According to two Israeli officials cited by Axios, General Erik Kurilla, head of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), is expected in Israel this Thursday to coordinate the response to a potential attack from Tehran and its allies. He is expected to meet with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and senior officials from the Israeli armed forces.
The two aforementioned officials added that they were preparing for an unprecedented direct attack launched from Iranian soil using ballistic missiles, drones, and cruise missiles against Israeli targets, to which Israel would respond with a direct attack on Iran.
During a meeting with Yoav Gallant on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken "reiterated the United States' support for Israel's security and clearly indicated that the United States would stand by Israel against any threat from Iran and its proxies," according to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
Quoted by Axios, a senior Israeli official further stated that Israel had asked the United States if they would help deter the Iranian reaction by sending private and public warning messages to the Iranians and displaying their force in the region.
The official added that Tel Aviv and Washington have been coordinating for several days to establish a joint air and missile defense in the region in anticipation of an offensive from Tehran. According to a source familiar with the matter interviewed by the American news site, the Saudi, Emirati, Qatari, and Iraqi foreign ministers spoke on the phone with their Iranian counterpart on Wednesday after receiving calls from the White House asking them to convey a message to Tehran about the need for de-escalation.
Last week, some unconfirmed reports had indicated that in exchange for imposing a cease-fire in Gaza, Iran had expressed readiness not to retaliate against the strike attributed to Israel on the consular annex of its embassy in Damascus. Initially expected before Ramadan and then before Eid al-Fitr, a truce deal between Hamas and Israel has not yet been reached.