The White House claims to be in "continuous communication" with Israel and to be "very, very closely" monitoring the Iranian threat.
Following Israel's attack on an Iranian diplomatic post in Syria last week that resulted in the deaths of three Iranian generals, the White House stated on Friday that there is still a "real," "credible," and "viable" threat of Iran initiating strikes.
The national security staff of President Joe Biden, who issued a warning this week that Iran was preparing a "significant attack" on Israel, has been providing him with regular briefings on the situation.
As the Iranian threat grew closer, the US and a number of other nations, including Britain and France, released updated travel advisories for government employees in Israel.
The National Security Council spokesperson, John Kirby, stated, "We're watching this very, very closely," but he would not comment on when the danger is likely to materialize.
As Israel and the US prepare for a potential Iranian attack, the Defense Department is deploying more resources to the Middle East "to bolster regional deterrence efforts and increase force protection for US forces," a US defense official stated.
The goal of the Pentagon's efforts has been to strengthen air defenses for US troops stationed in Iraq and Syria, who were attacked more than 100 times between October and February by proxy forces backed by Iran. At the Tower 22 base in Jordan in January, a drone managed to breach US air defenses, killing three US service members.
Although it is not expecting Iran or its proxies to attack US personnel in reprisal, the US is transferring the assets anyhow.
Kirby stated, "It would be foolish if we didn't examine our own posture in the region to make sure that we're adequately prepared."
last week that the US was actively planning for an attack by Iran that would strike US or Israeli assets in the region and that the US was on high alert. According to officials, an attack of this nature might occur this week.
Two persons familiar with US information on the topic said that sources warn Iran of a dramatic escalation earlier this week. They believe that an Iranian strike on Israel would probably be carried out by Iranian proxy forces in the region rather than by Iran itself.
According to the sources, Tehran fears a sharp uptick in the fighting and does not want to provide the US or its allies with a pretext to launch a direct strike on Iran.
Although the sources observed that Iran does not have perfect command and control over all of its proxy forces, the potential of an attack on US assets cannot be completely ruled out, they claimed that Iran and its proxy militia groups do not look ready to strike US troops or other assets in the region.
According to the sources, US intelligence believes that Iran has encouraged a number of its proxy militia groups to attack Israel simultaneously with missiles and drones, potentially as early as this week.
One insider stated, "The threat is very clear and credible." "Everything is set up for them to launch the strike right now. Simply wait at the appropriate moment.
During a phone conversation last week, Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the possibility of an Iranian attack.
One of the worst-case situations for which the Biden administration is prepared is an Iranian direct strike on Israel, which would ensure a swift escalation of the already volatile Middle East situation. A strike of this kind might cause the Israel-Hamas battle to escalate into a larger regional confrontation, which is precisely what Biden has long wished to prevent.
Kirby stated that Biden is being briefed on the situation several times a day.
Kirby stated on Friday that efforts were being taken to guarantee Israel's ability to defend itself and that US officials were in "continuous communication" with their Israeli counterparts regarding the situation.
"We are aware of Iran's very public and, in our opinion, credible threat regarding possible attacks on Israel," Kirby stated on Friday.
He cited US Central Command chief Gen. Erik Kurilla's travel to Israel on Friday in order to have "those conversations directly with his IDF counterparts."
US officials, however, expressed frustration to their Israeli counterparts for the lack of information that Israel provided before launching the strike in Damascus last week, according to sources. Israel only notified a US official after its planes had taken off for Syria, according to a different US official.
The official stated, "We were not aware that Israel was planning to conduct this airstrike beforehand. Israel contacted a U.S. official moments before the incident to inform them that they were planning an attack in Syria while their planes were still in the air. The strike had already started before word could reach the US administration, and it contained no information about who or where it would be carried out.
diplomatic coercion
According to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller on Thursday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, China, and Turkey, urging them to put pressure on Iran to refrain from escalating the Middle East crisis following threats made by Iran against Israel.
In order to convey a similar message about Iran, Miller added that the US had also "engaged with European allies and partners over the past few days." The Iranian foreign minister has recently spoken with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
Every nation that has any kind of relationship with Iran, according to Blinken, "has been making clear that it is in their interest to use that relationship to send a message to Iran that they should not escalate this conflict." However, I'll let those nations speak for themselves regarding any possible course of action, Miller added.
Following Iran's public threats against Israel, the US State Department has placed restrictions on the travel of US federal officials within Israel.
A security alert posted by the US Embassy on Thursday stated that, "U.S. government personnel are authorized to transit between these three areas for personal travel." However, "out of an abundance of caution, U.S. government employees and their family members are restricted from personal travel outside the greater Tel Aviv (including Herzliya, Netanya, and Even Yehuda), Jerusalem, and Be'er Sheva areas until further notice."
According to the advisory, "the security environment is still complex and subject to sudden changes based on the political landscape and recent events."
Due to the possibility of "military escalation," France has recommended its people to "absolutely refrain" from visiting Iran, Lebanon, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories. This information was released by the French Foreign Ministry on Friday.
The ministry further stated that civil servants would not be permitted to serve on missions to Iran or its territories, and that families of diplomats stationed in Tehran, the capital of Iran, would be sent back to France.
Following a crisis conference on the region, the French Foreign Minister
released the latest advice, the ministry stated in a post on X.
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