According to a story in Axios, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has told his peers from the G7 countries that Iran may strike Israel on Monday, August 5.
In an effort to reduce the likelihood of a full-scale conflict in the unstable region, Blinken organized a conference call with the US partners to generate “last-minute diplomatic pressure on Iran and Hezbollah.”
Blinken stated that the current US warship and fighter jet deployment in the Middle East was solely for defensive reasons.
In the meantime, ‘grave concern’ was expressed by the G7 ministers in a statement over the current state of affairs.
“We express our deep concern over the heightened level of tension in the Middle East which threatens to ignite a broader conflict in the region,” stated the statement.
“We implore all parties concerned to desist from sustaining the present damaging cycle of retaliatory violence, to reduce hostilities, and to actively participate in de-escalation efforts. The Middle East cannot continue to worsen for the benefit of any nation or country.”
The White House thinks Tehran’s retaliation could resemble the volley of drone strikes and ballistic missiles it fired against Israel on April 13. However, if more Israeli foes band together, the scope might be considerably larger.
While the situation simmers, Tel Aviv is poised to execute a preemptive strike, according to a story in Times of Israel. Along with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, the heads of Israel’s top intelligence agencies, Mossad and Shin Bet, met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Only if there is unmistakable proof that Tehran had raised its guns and was prepared to fight back would the strike be authorized.
Following reports that it was connected to the simultaneous killings of top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut and leader of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Israel finds itself on the verge of a new conflict.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, declared last week that revenge against Israel was “due” and that Haniyeh’s blood should be shed. “The criminal and terrorist Zionist regime martyred our dear guest in our house and made us bereaved,” Khamenei said. Reportedly, Mossad hired Iranian agents to plant bombs in Haniyeh’s Tehran guesthouse; after it was established that the bomb in one of the rooms belonged to the Hamas chief, the bomb detonated from outside while Iranian agents fled.
