US said to fear attack on Israel by Iran, which vows to respond to ‘criminal acts’
Official says military preparing for joint defense after assassination of Nasrallah as Tehran says it will make Israel regret its actions
The Biden administration is concerned that Iran may strike Israel after the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, US media reported Monday, as Tehran vowed it wouldn’t allow the assassination to go unanswered.
The US official told CNN that preparations for a joint defense were underway, and that this included “changes in US military posture.”
No further details were given.
In April, a coalition including the US, UK, Gulf states, Egypt, and Jordan helped Israel almost completely thwart an unprecedented missile and drone attack launched by Tehran to avenge seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members, including two generals, who were killed in an alleged Israeli airstrike on a building near Tehran’s consulate in Damascus.
While Iran has vowed revenge for the killing of Nasrallah and IRGC deputy commander Abbas Nilforoushan in an airstrike on a bunker in Beirut Friday, its leadership was reportedly divided in the aftermath of the airstrike, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei apparently undecided about what to do next.
Iran has also vowed a response to the July killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the Qatar-based leader of the Palestinian terror group Hamas, during a visit to Tehran, in an operation widely attributed to Israel, which hasn’t confirmed or denied it.
Iran will not leave any of “the criminal acts” of Israel unanswered, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said in a weekly news conference on Monday. “We stand strongly and we will act in a way that is regretful [for the enemy].”
Nonetheless, he indicated Iran would not send its own troops to bolster Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“There is no need to send extra or volunteer forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he noted, adding that Lebanon and fighters in the Palestinian territories “have the capability and strength to defend themselves against the aggression.”
“We have not received any request in this regard from any side, on the contrary, we are informed and are sure that they do not need the help of our forces,” Kanaani said.
Kanaani stated that Iran is closely following up on matters with the Lebanese authorities, referring to the strikes that killed Nasrallah and Nilforoushan.
Amid Tehran’s threats, the US military said on Sunday it was increasing its air support capabilities in the Middle East and putting troops on a heightened readiness to deploy to the region.
The Pentagon’s spokesperson cautioned that if Iran or groups backed by Tehran “use this moment to target American personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take every necessary measure to defend our people.”
Iran and Israel have been locked in a shadow war for decades, with mutual allegations of sabotage and assassination plots.
The conflict, including between Israel and Hezbollah, has intensified in the past year in parallel with the Gaza war, which erupted when Hamas attacked southern Israeli communities on October 7, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Hamas.
Over the past couple of weeks, Israel launched a stunning succession of blows to Hezbollah after almost a year of near-daily cross-border fire from the terrorist organization, killing much of its leadership and revealing gaping security holes. But it has also raised questions about Washington’s publicly declared goals of containing the conflict and safeguarding US personnel throughout the Middle East.
Iran does not recognize Israel’s right to exist. Khamenei has previously called Israel a “cancerous tumor” that “will undoubtedly be uprooted and destroyed.” Israel says that Iran poses an existential threat and says Tehran is trying to develop nuclear weapons, a charge Iran denies.
