IRAN is massing over 100 drones and dozens of its formidable missiles to pummel Israel as Netanyahu’s war cabinet steels themselves for the worst.
A major attack from Tehran could hit within hours as Tel Aviv scrambles to prepare for a massive aerial onslaught on Israeli soil.
8
8
8
8
Iran’s deathly strike is imminent, and it will be hard for Israeli forces to fight off an ambush of that magnitude, US officials have warned.
The attack will target military targets in Israel, they told CBS, an escalation which would stoke tensions between the sworn enemies.
Iran revealed its bone-chilling war chest days ago, including terrifying long-range missiles that can cross the Red Sea to pummel Israel directly.
The world is now holding its breath to see when, not if, Tehran will follow through on its repeated threats to launch a revenge strike.
read more on iran vs israel
It follows Israel’s suspected attack on Iran’s embassy in Syria which killed several top IRGC commanders.
Israel has not claimed responsibility – but Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to “punish” Tel Aviv, driving fears of a wider war in the tumultuous region.
And reports surfaced that Israel was even planning to strike nuclear targets in Iran if Khamenei did follow through on his threats.
Iran’s state media also ramped up tensions by releasing a propaganda video showing several missiles being launched today.
The clip, shared by Iran’s Student News Network, shows missiles blasting into the sky in quick succession.
A caption with the video reads: “We made before them a Barrier, and behind them a Barrier, then we covered them, so they do not see.”
In another thinly veiled threat, the outlet issued disturbing photoshopped images showing Israel’s Haifa International Airport being bombarded with ballistic missiles and one-way ‘suicide’ drones.
Haunting captions of the pictures read: “Which place do you like? The choice is in your hands.”
The US has warned Americans in Israel to avoid leaving any major cities, which have better aerial protection from incoming rocket fire.
President Biden has also warned Iran that Israel has America’s “ironclad” support and Washington will do “all it can” to protect Tel Aviv.
A senior US official said Iran’s message of retaliation to them was: “We will attack forces that attack us, don’t mess with us and we won’t mess with you”.
Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system is likely to provide more protection in the densely populated areas.
It comes after an unnamed US official said Iran could hit inside Israel’s borders, rather than its assets, in a major escalation.
Iran has historically used its terror proxies, including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis to strike out at Israel.
8
Officials in America reportedly believed Iran to be plotting a larger-than-usual aerial attack on Israel – which could feature missiles and drone strikes – ahead of the latest reports.
If Iran were to unleash over 100 drones or dozens of missiles, it would amount to an enormous aerial onslaught.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted his country is “prepared for any scenario” as they continue to fight in Gaza.
He said: “Whoever harms us, we will harm them.
“We are prepared to meet all of the security needs of the State of Israel, both defensively and offensively.”
Conflict has spread across the Middle East since the eruption of the Gaza war in October 2023.
Iranian-backed proxies in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq have waged war against Israel and it’s allies in the Red Sea.
But Tehran has so far avoided direct confrontation with Israel or the US, declaring support for its allies and hiding behind the cloak of its proxies.
Situation could get a whole lot worse
By Michael Clarke, Defence & Security Expert
When the Israelis attacked the Iranian consulate in Damascus, they must have known there would be a reaction to it.
In a sense they were almost taunting the Iranians — testing how far they could push them on the assumption that they didn’t think the Iranians would react very strongly.
The Iranians always talk apocalyptically.
They make blood-curdling threats but usually carry them through at a much lower level.
They are murderous dabblers, a malign actor across the whole of the region.
But everything they do is always arm’s length and low risk.
They persuade their clients, like Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen or Hamas to undertake operations against the Americans, the British or the Israelis.
But it’s always somebody else doing the dirty work.
The reason that they only dabble is because they know they are internally insecure.
Revolution has never been very far away from modern Iran in the last 20 years. They always worry about taking on a real war in case it brings the regime down.
Are they prepared to do more this time?
I suspect not, but it’s likely one of their clients will hit Israeli interests across the region, like Israeli firms or embassies.
The whole region will be on high alert, including the British and Americans.
The Americans are fully behind the Israelis, who are warning: “If you push us too hard, we will attack straight into Iranian territory.”
If the Israelis did attack Iran directly, they would probably go after large parts of the infrastructure Iran needs for its nuclear weapons programme, something they have been itching to do for many years.
The Israeli message is: “If you give us the opportunity, we’ll be glad to do it.”
It is intended to scare the Iranians off and make them take a step back.
If that does not work, then things could be a lot more dangerous this time next week.
German airline Lufthansa, one of only two Western carriers flying to Tehran, extended a suspension of its flights to the Iranian capital.
Russia has also warned against travel to the Middle East.
British foreign secretary David Cameron said on Thursday he had made clear to his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian that Tehran should not draw the Middle East into a wider conflict.
He said: “I am deeply concerned about the potential for miscalculation leading to further violence.”
A disturbing war simulation has revealed how a battle between Iran and Israel could turn nuclear.
The terrifying war games – crafted by military and security experts – lays out how nuclear strikes between the countries could unfold.
It sets out a chilling step-by-step scenario, beginning with conventional missile strikes that do nothing but rile up fury in each respective country.
8
8
8
#Iran #readying #drones #missiles #Israel #strikes #Netanyahu #calls #war #cabinet #preps #worst #case #scenario
