Israel Launches 'Pre-emptive Strikes' in Iran, Prepares for Retaliatory Rocket and Drone Attack
U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, responded to a State Department post of social media platform X that he is "closely following the situation."
In its post, the State Department wrote that, "due to high tensions in the Middle East, the security environment remains complex and can change quickly," to which Huckabee responded that he is "at our Embassy in Jerusalem and closely following the situation. We will remain here all night."
Israel is bracing for a counterstrike that could include hundreds of Iranian missiles.
Reuters reported earlier today:
President Donald Trump's administration told the Israeli government the U.S. will not be directly involved in any Israeli military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities, Axios reported on Thursday, citing two U.S. sources and an Israeli source familiar with those discussions.
More from Haaretz:
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said the United States remains committed to resolving the Iran nuclear issue through diplomacy, but added that the Islamic Republic must first give up hopes of building a nuclear weapon.
"We remain committed to a Diplomatic Resolution to the Iran Nuclear Issue!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "My entire Administration has been directed to negotiate with Iran. They could be a Great Country, but they first must completely give up hopes of obtaining a Nuclear Weapon," he added.
From Axios:
Driving the news: Sirens sounded across Israel on Thursday night. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared a special state of emergency across the entire country.
- "Following the State of Israel's preemptive strike against Iran, a missile and drone attack against the state of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future," Katz said.
- An Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said only "necessary" activities should take place in Israel starting Friday morning local time. That includes a ban on "educational activities, gatherings and workplaces, with the exception of essential businesses."
The Guardian published an analysis by Julian Bolger just a few hours before the attack was announced: Israel’s Iran threat is familiar, but it is unlikely to attack without US backing
The withdrawal of non-essential US personnel from parts of the Middle East and the anonymously sourced US reports in the past 24 hours that Israel is on the brink of an all-out attack on Iran are all deeply alarming, but they are also familiar.
The Israeli government has approached the same precipice, of a war to destroy Tehran’s nuclear programme, several times in the past two decades, going as far as honing detailed plans and conducting practice air sorties.
On each occasion, there have been briefings in Washington that Israel means business and could act on its own. Each time, however, Israel has held back in the absence of US support.
“This pattern of behavior repeats like a script kept in a drawer, dusted off and updated,” Yossi Melman, a veteran Israeli military and intelligence analyst, wrote in
Haaretz newspaper this month.
“Israel won’t attack Iran’s nuclear sites,” Melman concluded. “Without American assistance in both defence and offence, such a strike would be ineffective and send millions of Israelis into the shelters for long stints.” [...]
The AP reports:
The Israeli official said Iran is posing three threats to the state of Israel
First, he alleged that the Iranian government is advancing a “secret program” to develop nuclear weapons. The U.S. intelligence community assesses that Iran is not actively pursuing a nuclear weapon. Secondly, the Israeli official said, Iran has thousands of ballistic missiles. Finally, he said Iran has been distributing weapons and arms to proxy groups across the region, like Hezbollah and Hamas.
The Times of Israel reports:
The US participated in a massive campaign to lull Iran into thinking an attack was not going to happen immediately, Channel 12 reports.
US President Donald Trump said Thursday that an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear sites “could very well happen” but advised against it, saying the possibility of a deal was “fairly close” if Tehran compromises on its atomic ambitions in ongoing talks with the US.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said in an interview yesterday that Israel was unlikely to attack Iran without a green light from Washington.
