Israel is expecting a retaliatory attack from Iran. Despite all the tensions with Washington, the most important ally is promising defense aid – and is taking precautions.
According to the US government, Israel can count on defense assistance from the US military in the event of a retaliatory attack by Iran. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke on the phone with his Israeli counterpart Joav Galant on Sunday (local time) and assured him of “iron-hearted support” in self-defense, the Pentagon subsequently announced.
There was also talk of American troop deployments as a security measure – to increase the protection of US forces, to strengthen Israel’s defense capabilities and for deterrence purposes and to defuse tensions in the region, it was said. Austin also advocated a ceasefire in the Gaza war and an agreement to release the hostages remaining in the Gaza Strip, his ministry said.
In view of Iran’s recent threats to attack Israel, it remains unclear when and how the threatened retaliatory strike might take place. Statements by the Iranian leadership and its allied Lebanese Hezbollah militia repeatedly referred to the “next few days”.
The news portal “Axios” reported, citing the assessments of three American and Israeli government officials, that Iran could attack as early as Monday. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also told his colleagues this in a conference call with the chief diplomats of the seven major western industrial nations (G7). According to the report, he mentioned a time frame of 24 to 48 hours during yesterday’s discussions.
Source: Stern
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