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As Iran prepares for an imminent ballistic missile attack against Israel, the United States warned on Tuesday that any such attack would have “serious” consequences for Tehran.
The warning came as Israel said it had launched a ground operation in Lebanon to target Iran-backed militia Hezbollah, whose leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike last week.
“The United States has received indications that Iran is preparing an immediate ballistic missile attack against Israel,” a senior White House official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
“We are actively supporting defense preparations to defend Israel against this attack.”
The United States and other Western allies helped defend Israel against a joint Iranian missile and drone strike in April, which Tehran launched in response to an Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
The US official added: “A direct military attack by Iran against Israel would have dire consequences for Iran.”
Iran has said Nasrallah’s killing would lead to the “destruction” of Israel, although the Foreign Ministry said Monday that Tehran would not deploy troops to confront Israel.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stern warning to Iran on Monday, saying “Israel cannot reach anywhere in the Middle East”.
Netanyahu also said that a future “when Iran is finally free” will “come sooner than people think”.
An attack on Israel by Iran would heighten fears of a wider regional conflict that the United States and other world powers have said they want to avoid in the Middle East.
The US has cautiously backed Israel’s move to end Hezbollah’s ability to attack northern Israel, even as President Joe Biden called for a cease-fire.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blanken said Washington was “tracking events in the Middle East very closely.”
“The United States is committed to the defense of Israel,” Blanken said during a meeting with his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita at the State Department on Tuesday morning.
Washington said on Monday it was expanding its forces in the Middle East by “a few thousand” troops, bringing in new units while augmenting existing ones.
The Pentagon said it is also deploying more fighter jets.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin offered his Israeli counterpart Yves Gallant late Monday to help “dismantle attack structures” linked to Hezbollah along the border with Lebanon.
Hezbollah launched low-intensity attacks on Israeli troops a day after its Palestinian ally Hamas, which is also backed by Iran, launched its unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, targeting the Gaza Strip. led to Israel’s devastating attack.
Cross-border firing by Israel and Hezbollah continued during Israel’s war in Gaza.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
