U.S. and Israeli officials say that Iran is expected to launch an attack on Israel in the coming hours, after Israeli forces launched a rare ground invasion of southern Lebanon on Monday night aimed at crippling the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah there.
Israel on Tuesday said it will retaliate if Hezbollah ally Iran launched a missile attack on Israel that a senior U.S. official said could come “imminently.”
The U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the intelligence, warned of “severe consequences” if Iran launches a ballistic missile against Israel. U.S. ships and aircraft are positioned in the region to assist Israel in the event of an attack from Iran.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Israel had not identified any launches from Iran as of Tuesday afternoon. Iran’s state media has not suggested an attack is imminent, and Iranian officials could not be immediately reached for comment.
The Israeli military said in a statement that it assassinated Muhammad Ja’far Qasir, a senior Hezbollah commander who oversaw the transfer of Iranian munitions to the armed group, in an airstrike on Tuesday in Beirut. There was no immediate confirmation by Hezbollah.
Subscribe to the Daily Newsletter
