An exclusive from the Wall Street Journal Thursday night reports that the Iranian regime is planning an imminent attack on Israel in retaliation for the Jewish state’s airstrike in early April that killed seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) members, including two top commanders.
Israel has been bold in taking out IRGC top brass:
See:
Israeli Air Strike Punches Senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards Commander's Ticket
We’ve known that the region has been on high alert, and retaliatory action may be coming, but this is the most specific report yet:
The attack could come within the next 24 to 48 hours and target southern or northern parts of the Jewish state, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited a person familiar with the matter.
However, a person briefed by leaders of the Iranian regime noted that no final decision has been made about attack plans, though they have been discussed, the outlet said.
“The strike plans are in front of the Supreme Leader and he is still weighing the political risk,” an adviser to Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said.
See:
While intelligence information has indicated that an attack is probable, sources have now narrowed down the potential location—inside Israel itself.
But US intelligence now points to Iran being focused on a retaliatory strike “possibly on Israeli soil” rather than US or Israeli interests elsewhere in the Middle East, according to the Journal.
The US Embassy in Israel issued a security alert Thursday, warning employees and their family members not to travel outside of central areas of the country.
“Out of an abundance of caution, US government employees and their family members are restricted from personal travel outside the greater Tel Aviv (including Herzliya, Netanya, and Even Yehuda), Jerusalem, and Be’er Sheva areas until further notice,” the embassy said.
“US government personnel are authorized to transit between these three areas for personal travel.”
There are a lot of bellicose tweets on X from purported supporters of Iran Thursday Night:
From #IRAN 🇮🇷
— Mohammad Holmes 🇮🇷 (@mhmd_akbrzdh) April 12, 2024
...to #ISRAEL 🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/FR8eXWK2Kg
And:
The silence of Iran is enough to kill the Zionist. The cowards are panicking. Their defeat is certain. ✌️#Iranpic.twitter.com/a1PvDo5IXp
— Sayyeda Sakina Taqvi-🇵🇸 (@SakinaTaqvi3) April 12, 2024
Despite Joe Biden’s vacillating—let’s just say it, weak—support of Israel in recent weeks, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin pledged his support in the wake of the impending threat:
The Pentagon confirmed that Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of US Central Command, the apparatus responsible for military operations in the Middle East, was in Israel Thursday.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, reiterating the “ironclad US support for Israel’s defense in the face of growing threats from Iran and its regional proxies,” according to a readout of their call.
“Secretary Austin assured Minister Gallant that Israel could count on full US support to defend Israel against Iranian attacks, which Tehran has publicly threatened,” the Pentagon statement said.
This is a fast-moving story and the dynamics are rapidly shifting. We can only hope that by the end of Friday or Saturday, Iran hasn’t escalated this conflict into a full-blown regional Middle East war because that will be good for exactly nobody and has the potential to expand even further into a larger conflagration.
RedState will keep you posted.
Related:
Iran Warns US That If It Helps Israel Defend From Iran's Retaliation Itself Then the US Is Next
Middle East Tensions Are About to Get Hotter (and It's All on Joe Biden)
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