The US said on Monday that Iran and its proxies could attack Israel this week, as fears grow that a major attack is imminent.
White House national security council spokesman John Kirby said the attack “could occur this week,” agreeing with reports that Israel expects an attack within days.
But Kirby said it’s unclear when exactly the attack might occur.
“We continue to watch this very, very closely,” he told reporters. “We share the assessment made by our Israeli counterpart that something could happen this week by Iran and its proxies.”
There is speculation that Iran could launch a major attack on Israel with rockets, drones or other weapons, but it could also be restrained amid ceasefire and hostage release negotiations between the Iran-backed Hamas militant group in Gaza. and Israel.
Kirby added that it was “difficult to determine” what an Iranian attack would look like.
“But we have to be prepared for what could be a significant set of attacks,” he said.
The US has committed to defending Israel, transferring more military assets to the region as it prepares for the attack.
The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group is expected to replace another strike group and the Pentagon also sent a guided missile submarine and F-22 fighter jets.
Washington helped defend Israel in an Iranian attack in April that saw hundreds of drones and rockets fired from Iran. The missiles and drones were largely fired from the sky by the US, Israel and allied Arab nations in the region.
Iran is vowing revenge after what it said was the Israeli assassination of a senior Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, about two weeks ago in Tehran. Israel neither confirmed nor denied the attack.
Israeli forces also killed the top military commander of Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon around the same time as Haniyeh’s death.
Hezbollah also promises to respond, raising fears that the militant group could attack at the same time as Iran, which could pose a much greater threat than April’s Iranian attack.
The fears also come as the US pressures Hamas and Israel to meet on Thursday and negotiate a ceasefire and hostage release deal, which is in its final stages.
The agreement is expected to bring home the 115 hostages in Gaza and pave the way for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza, where more than 39,000 have died in 10 months of war.
Kirby told reporters that the attack on Iran could complicate those negotiations.
“If something happens this week, the timing of that could certainly have an impact on these negotiations,” he said.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
