The News
An Iranian attack on Israel in retaliation for the killings of senior Hamas and Hezbollah commanders could come as soon as Monday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told G7 counterparts in a weekend conference call. Axios was the first to report the briefing.
Israel has not claimed responsibility for the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, which comprises 57 mostly Muslim-majority states, is set to hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday at Iran’s behest to discuss the killing and any response, according to the country’s foreign ministry.
SIGNALS
Israel feels more prepared for an Iranian assault
Iran and Hezbollah may not want an all-out regional war, but they will want to make good on threats of revenge, which could escalate the situation in a way that is “hard to stop,” a military analyst for Israeli outlet Haaretz wrote. However, Israeli intelligence officials feel more confident in their ability to thwart an Iranian attack than they did in April, The Times of Israel reported, but it remains a thorny issue politically: Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his handling of the Iranian threat, saying the country had been “sitting and waiting to be bombed.”
The US is ready for a potential Iranian attack
Despite reports of “tensions” flaring during a Thursday conversation between US President Joe Biden and Netanyahu, Israeli officials are confident of US support in intercepting any Iranian missiles, according to Jewish Insider. The US does not seem to have given up on diplomacy, however, with Biden reportedly due to meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Monday in a fresh effort to cool tensions.