Israeli defense officials say they are coordinating with the U.S. and U.K. ahead of an expected strike by Iran, setting the stage for a repeat of a similar attack by Tehran in April that was repelled by allies.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement Friday that he spoke with his American and British counterparts, Lloyd Austin and John Healey, and provided “a situational assessment in light of recent security developments.”
Fear has risen of a spillover from the nearly 10-month Israel-Hamas war in Gaza as Iran threatened retaliation for the assassination in Tehran this week of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the Iran-backed group.
A similar spike in tensions about four months ago saw Iran and Israel trade direct fire for the first time. Almost 300 Iranian drones and missiles were fired but most were destroyed by air defenses from Israel, the US and several allies. Israel’s drone strike in response was contained and appeared symbolic to avoid escalation.
This time, Iran’s response may be more fierce, given the embarrassment of having a foreign dignitary and top ally assassinated in the heart of its capital. Among its options are another direct assault on Israel, stepped-up attacks by its proxies in the region or hitting Israeli targets elsewhere in the world.
Austin, who earlier this week reiterated that the U.S. “certainly will help defend Israel” if attacked, spoke with Gallant and is weighing moves to reinforce America’s presence in the region, the Pentagon said Friday. White House spokesman John Kirby said earlier in a CNN interview that the Pentagon is ensuring it has “the right resources and capabilities” in the region, including both equipment and personnel.
Israel has stopped short of confirming it was behind killing Haniyeh, but it hasn’t pushed back against the claim either. His death also came hours after Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander in Beirut, Fuad Shukr.
President Joe Biden on Thursday assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “new defensive US military deployments,” the White House said in a statement. Biden later told reporters he also pressed the Israeli leader in a “very direct” call to agree to a cease-fire in Gaza with Hamas.
Biden is trying to use his last months in office to end the war, which has caused huge political divisions in the U.S. He’s struggled to influence Netanyahu’s war strategy, seeking to pressure him publicly and privately but declining to use as leverage the billions of dollars in US military aid.
“Meeting with senior leaders across the region, including today in Israel, we urged all sides to show restraint and dial down the tension at this critical moment,” UK’s Healey said in a statement. “We also need to see an immediate cease-fire, hostages released and aid getting in in sufficient quantity to alleviate the suffering in Gaza.”
While the destruction and death toll among Palestinians in Gaza has drawn international criticism of Israel, Netanyahu has focused on the existential threat to his country and the region from Iran and its proxies in the so-called Axis of Resistance, which includes Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, both designated terrorist organizations by the US, as well as the Houthis in Yemen.
Netanyahu referred to the coordinated April defense in a controversial speech last week to a joint meeting of the US Congress, calling it a possible template for a NATO-accord he termed the “Abraham Alliance.”
Gallant in his statement Friday said he “emphasized the importance of establishing a coalition in Israel’s defense against Iran’s proxies.”
(With assistance from Jordan Fabian, Alex Wickham and Peter Martin.)
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