WASHINGTON: The United States expects an Iranian attack on Israel to occur, but it would not be large enough to draw Washington into war, a US official said on Thursday (April 11).
The White House said earlier that Washington does not want conflict, opening a new storm for it to spread across the Middle East, while it has told Iran that the US was not involved in airstrikes on Iranian military commanders in Damascus.
The White House added it warned Iran not to use the attack as a pretext for further escalation in the region.
Israeli warplanes suspected of bombing the Iranian embassy in Damascus sparked new tensions on Monday in a strike that killed a top Iranian general and six other Iranian military officers, ratcheting up tensions in a region already strained by the war in Gaza.
Iranian sources told Reuters that Tehran had signaled that it would respond to Israel’s attack on its embassy in Syria in a way aimed at avoiding a major escalation and would not act hastily, as Tehran put forward demands including a ceasefire in Gaza.
The United States is highly wary of possible retaliatory attacks from Iran and US envoys have sought to de-escalate tensions.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people, according to an Israeli tally. Israel’s military offensive against Hamas-controlled Gaza has killed more than 33,000 people according to the local health ministry, displaced nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents and sparked a humanitarian crisis and accusations of genocide against Israel.
Iran-backed groups have expressed support for Palestine, launching attacks from Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq. Tehran has avoided direct confrontation with Israel or the United States, while expressing support for its allies.
Meanwhile, Israel is continuing its war in Gaza but is also preparing for scenarios in other areas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday, amid concerns that Iran is preparing to attack Israel.
“Whoever harms us, we will harm them. We are ready to meet all the security needs of the State of Israel, both defensively and offensively,” he said in comments released by his office after a visit to the Tel Nof air force base. in southern Israel.
Israel has been bracing for possible Iranian retaliation for the killing of a senior general and six Iranian officers in an airstrike on the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus. Israel has not said it was responsible but Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Wednesday that Israel “must be punished and that is what will happen” for the attack.
Israel’s chief military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said civilians had not been told to make special preparations but added Israel was “fully prepared for various scenarios”.
Netanyahu made his comments as Israeli troops and warplanes began an operation in central Gaza that the military said was aimed at destroying the infrastructure of Palestinian armed groups.
Most Israeli troops have pulled out of Gaza, in preparation for an assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians have taken refuge, but fighting continues in various areas of the enclave.
