US and Israel on alert! Iran may launch retaliatory attack tomorrow

Officials in Washington and Jerusalem believe Iran and its proxies could attack Israel at any time in retaliation for the killings of Hezbollah military chief Fuad Shukr and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

U.S. Central Command Commander Michael Erik Kurilla arrived in the Middle East early Sunday morning following threats against Israel from Hezbollah and Iran. Three U.S. and Israeli officials told Axios that the attack could be carried out as soon as tomorrow (Monday) and that Israel and the U.S. have begun defensive preparations.

THEY ARE SENDING A FIGHTER AIRCRAFT SQUAD

The Pentagon said Friday it would send a squadron of fighter jets to the Middle East and maintain an aircraft carrier in the region, boosting the American military presence to defend Israel and protect U.S. troops.

ATTACK MAY ALSO INCLUDE HIZBULLAH

U.S. officials expect any possible Iranian retaliation to be similar to the April 13 attack on Israel, but they believe it could be broader in scope and could include Hezbollah.

IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: THEY CROSSED THE BIG RED LINE

Acting Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Baqeri said in a meeting with Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar that Israel had crossed a “big red line” against Iran by targeting the head of Hamas’s political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran and that his country would “decisively respond” to Tel Aviv. According to a written statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Acting Foreign Minister Baqeri had a telephone conversation with Pakistani Foreign Minister Dar regarding the assassination of the head of Hamas’s political bureau, Haniyeh, in Tehran.

Drawing attention to the fact that Haniyeh was in Tehran as a guest of Iran, Baqeri stated that the scope of Israel’s attacks had expanded to include Yemen, Lebanon and Tehran. Stating that Israel had crossed Iran’s “big red line” by targeting Haniyeh in Tehran, Baqeri said that this action would have two consequences. He noted that one of these would be “Iran’s definitive response to this crime” and the other would be “Israel’s increasing its evil actions that will disrupt stability and security in the region, and Islamic countries should not remain silent against this.”

PROPOSAL FOR AN EXTRAORDINARY MEETING BETWEEN ISLAMIC COUNTRIES

Baqeri proposed to Pakistani Foreign Minister Dar to hold an extraordinary meeting among Islamic countries, requesting Islamabad to support this proposal and use its capacity to prevent further Israeli actions. The Pakistani Minister, on the other hand, condoled Haniyeh’s martyrdom and welcomed Iran’s offer to hold an extraordinary meeting among Islamic countries. Emphasizing the “necessity of awakening the Muslim peoples against the crimes of the Zionist regime,” Dar noted that the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran was “a clear violation of international law and Iran’s sovereignty.”