Two US defense officials told CNN that “the United States is facing a problem in determining the timing, form and intensity of the expected attack.
According to the network, the relative uncertainty has left the Biden administration on the defensive as it tries to rally allies and pressure Iran not to escalate tensions.
The two officials explained that the difficulties the United States faces in determining this data are due in part to the fact that Iran has already transferred some of the military assets needed to carry out a major attack on Israel in April.
They added that “the assessments are based on several intelligence sources, and security officials are divided on what the attack will look like and when.”
The United States is asking countries that have diplomatic relations with Iran to urge it not to escalate the conflict, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Monday.
“We have sent a consistent set of messages through our diplomatic engagements to encourage our allies to engage with the Iranian government and convince them that escalation is not in their interest and that we will defend Israel from any potential attacks, that escalation is not in Iran’s interest, and it is not in the interest of anyone in the region,” Miller said.
Miller declined to give a time frame for when the United States expected Iran to respond, but added: “We do not believe that this attack should happen, and we are working to try to prevent it from happening.”
According to officials whose identities were not revealed by the network, the US intelligence picture this time is more ambiguous, noting that the administration of US President Joe Biden is racing against time to try to prevent the situation from slipping into a full-scale war.
The same officials concluded their talk by expressing doubt about the possibility of restricting Iran and preventing it from launching the attack.
Thus, the region is living on a hot plate amidst a state of anticipation of a possible Iranian response to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in the capital, Tehran, after the “Iranian Revolutionary Guard” pointed the finger of accusation at Tel Aviv for its involvement in the crime and involved Washington in this matter.
In addition to the great anticipation of the possibility of the conflict between Lebanon and Israel expanding into a comprehensive war, following the assassination of Fouad Shukr in an Israeli raid on the southern suburbs of Beirut.
As Israel braces for retaliation from Iran and its allies that could come “at any moment,” US President Joe Biden called a National Security Council meeting in the White House Situation Room on Monday evening to monitor events in the Middle East in preparation for a possible attack.
Yedioth Ahronoth quoted a senior US official as saying: “Israel has the support of the United States, and President Biden is doing everything to protect it. There is an impressive effort here to build a coalition.”
According to him, “The president ordered that everything possible be used to defend Israel. We hope that this attack will be limited and will not lead to a regional and comprehensive war.”
On the other hand, senior Israeli officials say that Tel Aviv is not interested in a regional war, but is prepared to defend and attack, and that it will force anyone who touches it to pay a heavy price.
Israel did not claim responsibility for Haniyeh’s assassination, while Iran and the Palestinian factions movement pointed the finger at it. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stressed that avenging Haniyeh’s blood is “our duty because the assassination took place on our land.”
The Secretary-General of the Lebanese Factions Movement also stressed on Thursday that Israel and those behind it must “wait for our upcoming response” to the assassination of leader Fouad Shukr, stressing that “there is no discussion or debate on this.”
Source: Agencies
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2024-08-06 07:51:00
