The President of the United States, Joe Biden has disclosed that he expects Iran to attack Israel “sooner than later”, amid growing fears of Iranian retaliation over an air strike that killed top commanders early this month.
Israel says it is ready to defend itself. Mr Biden told Iran : “Don’t.”
“We are devoted to the defence of Israel. We will support Israel,” Mr Biden said. “We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed.”
Iran backs Hamas, the Palestinian group fighting Israel in Gaza, as well as various proxy groups throughout the region, including some – such as Hezbollah in Lebanon – that frequently carry out strikes against the Israelis.
Africa Today News, New York reports that on Friday, Hezbollah said it had launched “dozens” of rockets from Lebanon towards Israel. An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman said around 40 missiles and two explosive drones had been launched. No casualties were reported and there were no indications of involvement from other actors.
A US official told CBS the barrage was separate from any expected Iranian attack on Israel.
Read Also: Senate C’ttee Urge Biden To Ban China-Made Cars In The US
Ever since the lethal 1 April strike on the consulate building in Damascus, from which Israel believes Iran was directing its covert arms supplies to Iranian proxies in Lebanon and Syria, Iran’s security establishment has been debating its response.
This is all about calibration. Hit too hard and Israel will respond with devastating force. Go too lightly and Iran will risk being seen as weak and ineffective. From a tactical perspective, it makes no sense for Iran to respond right now, when the region is on full alert and when the US has been telling the world what to expect.
Pragmatists in Tehran and Qom will be urging restraint, while hawks, including the ageing Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, will be demanding a firm response.
But Iran does not want a full-scale war, nor do its neighbours on the Arab side of the Gulf. Governments there have already asked Iran for restraint. The question now, our correspondent says, is whether it is the hawks or the doves who prevail.
The mounting tensions have led countries including the US, UK, India and Australia to warn against travel to Israel. Germany called on its citizens to leave Iran.
The US state department also barred diplomatic staff and their families in Israel from travelling outside the cities of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Beersheba.
The war in Gaza was sparked when Hamas attacked Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip, killing about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and taking more than 250 hostage. Israel says that of 130 hostages still in Gaza, at least 34 are dead.
More than 33,600 Gazans, the majority of them civilians, have been killed during Israel’s campaign in Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry says.
The conflict has also seen Israel trade almost daily fire across its northern border with Hezbollah, while Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Yemen have attempted to hit Israeli territory as well as US bases in Iraq and Syria.