In April, a massive attack of drones and missiles from Iran was thwarted by a coalition that allegedly included Israel, the United States, Britain, France, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain.
According to Kan News, on Monday, Western diplomats believe that the same coalition may reunite.
Iran stated on Monday that Israel should be “punished” for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran – allegedly by Israel – and promised to take action, raising concerns that its response may bring the Middle East closer to a total war.
The Iranian group Hezbollah also threatened to attack Israel from Lebanon, following the assassination of its military leader Fuad Shukr in an attack in Beirut last week. Reports indicate that reprisals may be imminent.
The Wall Street Journal, citing unidentified U.S. officials, revealed that Iran has been moving missile launchers and conducting military exercises in recent days, a sign that it may be preparing to carry out an attack in the coming days.
However, U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were informed by their National Security team on Monday that it is still unclear when Iran and Hezbollah are likely to launch their attacks.
Biden and Harris were also informed that there is little information available on “the specifics of such an attack,” the American newspaper adds.
At the end of the meeting, the White House said that Biden and Harris were briefed on U.S. military efforts to support Israel’s defense, in case the country is attacked again by Iran.
They also discussed efforts to ease tensions, particularly through the ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages currently being discussed between Israel and Hamas, the White House added.
The statement also mentions that Biden and Harris discussed the missile attack on Monday against an Iraqi base hosting U.S. troops, and that the U.S. will respond “in the way and at the place we choose.”At least five U.S. personnel were injured when two Katyusha rockets were fired at the al-Asad airbase in western Iraq, U.S. and Iraqi sources said. There was no claim of responsibility, but Iranian-backed Iraqi militias have carried out several such attacks against U.S. troops in al-Asad and other locations in recent months.
At the same time, a Defense official told The Washington Post that the USS Laboon and the USS Cole have moved to the Red Sea as part of a repositioning of U.S. military assets ahead of the expected attack. According to the report, the ships moved west from the Gulf of Oman, having left the Persian Gulf days ago.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier also appears to be moving towards Israel.
In Washington, Biden spoke on the phone with King Abdullah II of Jordan, whose country helped shoot down hundreds of drones and missiles from Iran launched against Israel in April, although no discussion of Iranian tensions was mentioned in a U.S. statement about the call.
On Monday night, there were reports of explosions in Isfahan, Iran. The official news agency ISNA reported that there were three explosions, which a local governor attributed to “training activity.” In April, Israel allegedly carried out an attack in Isfahan, near a secret nuclear facility, in retaliation for a direct attack from Iran that month.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. The main American envoy also spoke with his counterparts from the G7 and with Iraq’s Prime Minister.
“We are engaged in intense diplomacy, practically 24/7, with a very simple message – all parties must refrain from escalation,” Blinken stated during a press conference.
For the U.S. Secretary of State, “it is also essential to break this cycle by achieving a ceasefire in Gaza.”The United States, which has no diplomatic relations with Iran, also urged other countries to convey to Iran a message from Washington advising it to avoid escalation, the State Department reported.
Iran, for its part, insisted on Monday that it does not intend to escalate regional tensions but believes it must “punish” Israel to prevent further instability.
“Iran seeks to establish stability in the region, but that will only happen if it punishes the aggressor and creates a deterrent against the adventurism of the Zionist regime,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani, adding that Tehran’s action is inevitable.Russia supplying air defense to Iran
Iranian authorities claim that Russia has begun supplying advanced air defense and radar equipment to Iran, after Tehran requested the weapons from the Kremlin.
Although Iranian media reported that Tehran had requested the equipment, a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and another official confirmed to Times of Israel that not only had the request been made, but that deliveries had begun.
The report does not mention the equipment Tehran requested from Russia or what has been delivered. Iran already has some Russian-made S-300 air defense systems, although Moscow now has the more advanced S-400 system.
“Russia is among the countries that supported the Iranian nation in difficult times,” said the new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, to Sergei Shoigu, Secretary of the Russian Security Council, according to Iranian state media.
Russia, which has broadly supported Hamas and allied terrorist groups since the massacres of October 7, condemned the assassination of Haniyeh and called on all parties to refrain from taking actions that could lead the Middle East into a broader regional war.