The United States sent a stern warning to Iran against attacking Israel directly, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. In the message, Washington said the Iranian economy could suffer a devastating blow.
" The warning has been communicated directly to Tehran as well as through intermediaries, " the paper said, quoting an official who declined to provide specific.
The Biden administration has been working to discourage Iran and its proxies and Israel, from escalating the crisis and risking regional war. At the same time, the U.S. has been working toward reaching a cease-fire and hostage release deal with Hamas in Gaza.
The Americans made clear to Iran that it would use force to defend Israel against an attack as it did in April when Iran attacked in response to the killing of an Iranian senior official in Syria.
CENTCOM said on Thursday that the U.S. Air Force moved stealth F-22 fighter jets to the Middle East as part of the preparations for Iran's strike. CENTCOM commander Michael Kurilla was in Israel earlier in the day, for a third time in a week, to meet with Israeli security officials.
The WSJ said that the U.S. believes, based on its latest intelligence that if Iran launches an attack it would be over the weekend.
The Israeli security cabinet convened in the underground headquarters of the military in Tel Aviv to discuss the pending attack from Iran and Hezbollah. Israel has been bracing for the attacks after the killing in Tehran of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh which was attributed to Israel and after the IDF assassinated a senior Hezbollah military commander in Beirut last month.