Iran puts forces on full alert, will respond directly to alleged Israeli strike in Syria — report

Two Iranian officials quoted by The New York Times say Iran has put its military forces on “full high alert.”

The officials say Iran has made a decision to directly attack Israel in retaliation for an alleged Israeli strike on Monday that killed a top Iranian commander in Syria and several other Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members, and in order to create deterrence.

Meanwhile, a US official says the United States is on high alert and preparing for a possible attack by Iran targeting Israeli or American assets in the region.

“We’re definitely at a high state of vigilance,” the official says in confirming a CNN report that says an attack could come in the next week.

A senior administration official who spoke with CNN says the US is bracing for a “significant” attack and that both Washington and Jerusalem believe an Iranian response is “inevitable.”