Washington may not receive a heads up about an Israeli retaliation for Iran’s unprecedented attack against the country despite Jerusalem’s promise to do so, a senior American official told U.S. media outlets on Tuesday.
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Benjamin Netanyahu, Iranian missile interceptions, Joe Biden
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According to the source, Israel so far hasn’t officially informed the U.S. of its response plans, nor its timing. "We hope they will give us a heads up so we can make preparations to defend our people (deployed in the Middle East), not only militarily but also diplomatically," he said.
However, he added, "there’s no guarantee" that Israel will indeed provide advance notice of an attack against Iran. "They know when they give us a head’s up we’re likely to again register our objection to whatever they’re about to conduct,” he noted.
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said on Monday that an Israeli retaliation against Iran following its massive attack will take place. While Israel’s security establishment prepares for this, Jerusalem has assured its allies the attack won’t set off a regional war, despite concern worldwide of a possible attack against Tehran’s nuclear facilities.
This fear was pronounced on Tuesday by IAEA head Rafael Grossi in interviews with American media, in which he said that the nuclear watchdog is “always worried about such an option.”
The unnamed senior American official expressed his worry about an escalation following an Israeli operation against Iran. “Any additional move now opens up a series of other possibilities, some of which are quite frightening.” Despite his concerns, the American official and another source familiar with the intelligence told CNN that Washington is “confident that there will be de-escalation.”
According to the report, the U.S. has intelligence pointing out that Israel would likely carry out a “limited strike inside Iran,” because Israeli officials believe Iran’s unprecedented aggression must be answered.
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Billboard featuring missiles and threats against Israel in Tehran
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CNN’s report about Israeli intentions to carry out a limited attack against Iran is consistent with another report by NBC broadcast on Tuesday. However, while CNN reported on an intention to attack within Iran, NBC said that the attack is likely to focus on Iranian military forces and its proxies outside the country.
NBC’s assessment is based on conversations between Israeli and American officials, which took place prior to the Iranian attack. The officials noted they weren’t updated on Israel's final decision on its response and that options may have changed since the conversation was held.