The White House claimed on Tuesday that it has information that Iran is preparing to launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel and is vowing that the US will come to Israel’s defense.
According to CNN, the White House said it had “indications that Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel” and added that the US was “actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack.”
The Pentagon announced on Monday that it was sending a “few thousand” additional troops to the Middle East to prepare to come to Israel’s defense if needed. “A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran,” a White House official said Tuesday.
The warning from the US comes amid Israel’s escalations in Lebanon, where it has killed over 1,000 people since last Monday. During previous regional escalations, Israeli officials said they could launch a “pre-emptive” attack on Iran if it had intelligence Iran was preparing an attack, which means the US claim could be used to justify military action.
According to Axios, the US warned Israel around noon Israel time (5 am EST) that an Iranian attack could come in the next few hours. Later in the day, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said he spoke with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin about the alleged Israeli threat.
Iran has said it would respond to the killing of Abbas Nilforoushan, a senior commander from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who was killed alongside Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. Iran also has not yet responded to the Israeli assassination of Hamas’s political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran.