Intense concern about a pre-emptive strike by the Israelis

According to a statement from the Austin Office, the deployment of these additional aircraft “symbolizes the extensive efforts to contain Iranian aggression.” During the conversation, Austin informed Gallant of the arrival of F-22s at two bases in Arab states. Austin also stressed to his Israeli counterpart the importance of achieving a ceasefire in Gaza, which would facilitate the release of hostages and allow humanitarian aid to reach civilians in the area.

For his part, the g.c. of the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, said yesterday that “the people of Israel should prepare for all scenarios” and argued that Israel fears Iran’s response to Haniya’s killing and is reaching out to the US and Western countries because he cannot defend himself.

Amid this heightened alert for possible retaliation by Iran and Hezbollah, the US is concerned that Israel may launch a pre-emptive strike to prevent such actions. Washington seeks to be informed in advance if Israel decides to take this step.

The assessment that a coordinated large-scale drone and missile attack on Israel by Iran is most likely. The most dangerous course of action that Iran and its partners could take would actually be a full-scale attack on Israel and US forces, while it is estimated that they will not hit US targets.

The head of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, said yesterday that both Iran and the “Axis of Resistance” would be involved in retaliation, indicating that Iran would strike Israel directly. Iranian leaders likely want to be confident that Iran’s munitions will penetrate Israeli air defenses and hit their intended targets, to restore deterrence.

Divergent goals and priorities between Iran and Hezbollah could create friction between the two and disagreement over the timing and coordination of an attack. US officials pointed out yesterday that the US expects Iran and the “Axis of Resistance” to carry out two waves of attacks against Israel.