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The United States is on high alert, preparing for a potential attack by Iran on either American or Israeli targets. This response is anticipated following an Israeli airstrike in Damascus that resulted in the deaths of top Iranian commanders earlier this week.
A senior US administration quoted by CNN said it was “inevitable” that Iran was going to strike Israeli or American assets in the Middle East. According to CNN, “The two governments are furiously working to get in position ahead of what is to come, as they anticipate that Iran’s attack could unfold in a number of different ways – and that both US and Israeli assets and personnel are at risk of being targeted.”
During a phone conversation on Thursday, President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the looming threat of an Iranian retaliation. As of Friday, details regarding the timing or method of the anticipated attack remained unclear, leaving both nations on edge. The situation is particularly tense, with concerns that a direct strike on Israel could escalate into a wider conflict in the Middle East, an outcome the Biden administration is reportedly trying to avoid.
This comes as the US has publicly come out and said they had no involvement in the Israeli strike that killed top Iranian military officials in Syria earlier this week. A National Security Council spokesman said, “The United States had no involvement in the strike, and we did not know about it ahead of time.” Echoing this, Pentagon’s Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said earlier this week that the United States did not know all the identities of those killed in the strike but was confident that Israel carried it out. At the moment, Israel has not confirmed whether or not it carried out the strike.
