WASHINGTON: Iran is preparing an imminent ballistic missile attack against Israel, the United States said on Tuesday, warning that any such assault would have “severe” consequences for Tehran.
The warning came as Israel said it had launched a ‘ground offensive’ in Lebanon to target the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah, whose leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli air strike last week.
“The United States has indications that Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel,” a senior White House official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
“We are actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack.”
The United States and other western allies stepped in to help defend Israel against a combined Iranian missile and drone attack in April, which Tehran launched in retaliation for an Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
The US official added: “A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran.”
Iran has said that Nasrallah’s killing would bring about Israel’s “destruction,” though the foreign ministry said Monday that Tehran would not deploy soldiers to confront Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile issued a stark warning to Iran on Monday, saying there was “nowhere in the Middle East Israel cannot reach.”
Netanyahu also said that a future “when Iran is finally free” would “come a lot sooner than people think.”
An attack on Israel by Iran would gravely compound fears of a wider regional conflict that the United States and other world powers have said they want to avoid in the Middle East.