Iran readies missile assault on Israel, U.S. warns of severe repercussions

A high-ranking White House official warned on Tuesday that Iran is preparing to carry out a ballistic missile attack against Israel. This information was reported by American media, citing sources within the U.S. administration. If this happens, Tehran will face "serious consequences."

The official, cited by agencies including AP, referred to U.S. intelligence information and said that the United States is "actively supporting" Israel's preparations to defend against an Iranian attack.

“An Iranian ballistic missile attack could be on as large or larger a scale as the mass air raid on Israel carried out by Iran in April,” said an anonymous U.S. official, quoted by Reuters. The individual stressed this is an assessment based on preliminary data.

American officials and military personnel expect that Iran will launch a ballistic missile attack on Israel within the next 12 hours, reported the "New York Times".

According to "NYT", the intended targets of the planned Iranian attack are three Israeli Air Force bases and the headquarters of intelligence located north of Tel Aviv, which was evacuated on Tuesday afternoon. The newspaper cites three sources in the Israeli security apparatus.

Iran launched its first direct attack using hundreds of missiles and drones in April. It threatened another one after Israel killed a Hamas leader in Tehran, but it ultimately did not occur. The new attack would be in response to Israeli attacks on the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah, including the killing of its leader, and the entry of Israeli forces into border areas of Lebanon.

So far, neither Iran nor Iranian media have confirmed signals of an impending attack. The April shelling of Israel proved largely ineffective, as the overwhelming majority of missiles were shot down by forces from Israel, the U.S., France, and the United Kingdom.

Before the current escalation, the U.S. had deployed additional fighter jets to the Middle East, and the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and other ships are stationed in the Gulf of Oman and the Mediterranean Sea. On Sunday, the Pentagon announced that it had placed additional forces on heightened alert for regional deployment.

Israeli military spokesperson Adm. Daniel Hagari said that the U.S. warned Israel that Iran intends to launch missiles at the Jewish state. He added that the military has not yet detected any air threats from Iran. He advised the public to follow civil defence recommendations. On Tuesday, the alert level was raised in central Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and related restrictions were introduced.

A million residents of Lebanon are fleeing bombings to the north of the country. The PCPM foundation is providing assistance – supplying food, water, mattresses, and blankets. Urgent support is needed as the number of fleeing families continues to grow: pcpm.org.pl/liban