The United States of America (USA) claims that Iran and its regional partners could attack Israel this week, the White House said.
There have been repeated speculations that Iranian retaliation could soon follow the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh on July 31 in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the US shares “the same concerns and expectations that our Israeli counterparts have” about a potential attack this week.
Kirby, however, said it was difficult to determine at this time what the retaliation might involve, but added that it could include a “significant series of attacks.”
“The president (Joe Biden, op. a.) is confident that we have the capabilities available to help defend Israel if that comes to that. Nobody wants that to come to that, which is why we’ve continued to have diplomatic talks in earnest over the last few days to to see what can be done to de-escalate this situation,” Kirby added.
The Pentagon said Sunday that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the deployment of a guided-missile submarine to the Middle East and expedited the arrival of an aircraft carrier strike group in the region.
Tensions have risen further in the Middle East following the July 31 assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Israel’s assassination of senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.
Hamas and Iran have accused Israel of assassinating Haniyeh, while Tel Aviv has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility.
Iran has promised “severe punishment” for Israel in retaliation for Haniyeh’s assassination on Iranian soil.
Hezbollah, the Lebanese group, is also expected to retaliate after Israel killed Shukr in an air strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut on July 30.
The escalation comes amid an ongoing Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip that has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians following an attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on October 7 last year that killed 1,139 Israelis, AA writes.
