US warns Israel of 'imminent' missile attack from Iran
The warning comes immediately after Israel launched its ground offensive on Lebanon, aimed at disrupting Hezbollah's infrastructure in the south of the country.
In a file image, Iron Dome air defense system missiles are launched from Haifa, Israel.
The White House warned Tuesday that Iran is preparing for an "imminent" missile attack on Israel. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari made this known Tuesday at a press conference. The IDF reportedly received an update from U.S. intelligence on Tuesday.
"A short while ago, our American allies updated us that they identify preparations by Iran for imminent missile fire at the State of Israel," Hagari summed up in a brief press conference.
AFP was able to confirm that "the United States has indications that Iran is preparing to launch an imminent ballistic missile attack against Israel," citing anonymous Pentagon sources.
According to these same anonymous sources, the United States is "actively supporting" Israel’s "defensive preparations." It added that "a direct military attack" would have "severe consequences" for Tehran. A few minutes before Hagari made the announcement, U.S. Central Command reported that three additional fighter squadrons have been mobilized in the region.
The missile threat comes after Israel definitively launched its ground offensive in southern Lebanon, following a week of intense bombing against the infrastructure of the Hezbollah terrorist group, including in the capital of Beirut.
In those strikes against the Iranian-backed terrorist group, the Israeli Air Force managed to kill Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who had been atop the group for more than 30 years.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Nasrallah's death "will not be in vain" and First Vice President Mohamad Reza Aref warned that it would lead to the "destruction" of Israel. The scenario is similar to that of April, when Iran launched a wave of missiles and drones against Israel's territory, the largest in history.
That attack came in response to an Israeli bombing against a building attached to Iran's consulate in Damascus, in which the main Iranian commander in Syria was killed. Despite the April attack being the largest coordinated drone and missile bombing in history, casualties and damage in Israel were minimal.
An international coalition led by the United States and Israel managed to intercept almost all of the projectiles that were launched from different points in Iran, in addition to those also launched by terrorist groups aligned with the Iranian regime.
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