(Dan Tri) – Israel has prepared for the possibility of a retaliatory attack after Iranian generals were killed in Damascus.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) visits soldiers in southern Israel (Photo: GPO).
The Israeli army is highly combat ready
Netanyahu’s comments came after the Israeli armed forces – experiencing nearly six months of war in the Gaza Strip as well as on the Lebanese front – announced they would suspend leave for all units.
The possibility of Tehran retaliating against an airstrike, believed to have been carried out by Israel earlier this week, on its embassy compound in Damascus, has raised concerns about a broader war, although 2
At the start of a security cabinet meeting late on April 4, Netanyahu said: `For many years, Iran has acted against us both directly or through its proxies. Therefore
`We will know how to defend ourselves, we will act on the simple principle that whoever harms us or intends to harm us, we will attack them,` he said.
The White House said US President Joe Biden spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu, discussing threats from Iran.
Reuters journalists and residents in the commercial hub of Tel Aviv in Israel said GPS services had been disrupted, an apparent measure to help prevent guided missiles.
Iran – Israel’s sworn enemy – has vowed to avenge the killing of two of its generals and five military advisers in an airstrike on Iran’s diplomatic facility in the Syrian capital on April 1.
Israel is believed to have carried out one of the most significant attacks against Tehran’s interests in its close ally Syria.
Israel launched a campaign to attack Hamas forces in Gaza after this armed group conducted a surprise raid and cross-border kidnapping on October 7, 2023, and also fought almost every day.
Houthi forces in Yemen, aligned with Tehran, have occasionally launched long-range missiles into the Israeli port of Eilat.
Israel’s Iron Dome defense complex fires to intercept rockets launched from the Gaza Strip (Photo: Aljazeera).
Tehran reacts cautiously?
Iran has so far avoided direct involvement in the conflict, supporting attacks by proxy forces on Israeli and American targets.
Tehran has several options.
That would raise concerns among the US and its allies about Tehran’s potential to build a nuclear bomb, something the West has long sought to curb.
However, many diplomats and analysts say Iran’s clerical elite do not want a full-blown war with Israel or the United States, which could jeopardize its hold on power, and want to continue.
Such proxy attacks on US forces in the region ended in February after Washington retaliated for the deaths of three of its soldiers in Jordan from dozens of airstrikes on targets in Syria and Iraq.
US officials said midweek that they had not yet collected intelligence suggesting that Iran-backed groups were seeking to target US troops following the April 1 attack.
While noting that Israel’s attacks on regional adversaries could put American soldiers at risk of retaliation, American officials remained sympathetic to Israel’s desire to restore deterrence.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was growing concern that Iran would carry out its threat of retaliation, increasing the risk of escalating instability in the region.
Iran’s leaders have publicly pointed out that Iran, which is facing deep economic problems partly due to US sanctions, has taken months to quell recent widespread unrest.
Amos Yadlin, former Israeli intelligence chief, said Iran could choose April 5 – the last day of the Muslim month of Ramadan and Iran’s Quds (Jerusalem) Day – to respond to the attack in Damascus, directly
Mr. Yadlin, currently working at the Belfer Center of the Kennedy School at Harvard University (USA), said: `I would not be surprised if Iran acts tomorrow. Don’t panic. Don’t run for shelter…