“Same pattern as April” –

The Biden administration believes Iran will attack Israel in the coming days in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this week, and is preparing to counter it, three U.S. officials told Axios. Washington expects the Iranian retaliation to follow the same pattern as its April 13 attack on Israel, but potentially on a broader scale, possibly involving Hezbollah. The Biden administration also fears it may be more difficult to mobilize the same international and regional coalition of countries that defended Israel from the previous Iranian attack, because Haniyeh’s assassination has sparked strong anti-Israel sentiment across the region.

Two U.S. officials said it could take several days before the Iranians and their allies can coordinate and prepare an attack on Israel. Another U.S. official said the Pentagon and U.S. Central Command were making preparations similar to those made before the April attack. The official said the preparations involve U.S. military assets in the Gulf, the eastern Mediterranean and the Red Sea. “We expect a few difficult days,” the official said.

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, meanwhile, had a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday, amid heightened tensions in the Middle East following the killing of the Hamas leader. According to a White House summary of the exchange, Biden reiterated the US commitment to defending Israel against security threats from Iran and regional armed groups linked to the Islamic Republic. “The president discussed efforts to provide Israel with defense against threats such as ballistic missiles and drones, including new US military defense deployments,” it was reported.