Israeli officials claim they have in their possession intelligence indicating that Iran could attack the country from its territory using “long-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles or drones,” Axios reported.
The anticipated escalation scenario would be retaliation for the recent Israeli targeting of the Iranian Embassy compound in Damascus in a missile strike, claimed officials in Tel Aviv claimed, as cited by the outlet.
The purported threat is believed to have been discussed in detail during a phone conversation between Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Wednesday. The two sides reportedly deliberated over how best to prepare for possible Iranian retaliation.
If Iran were to launch such an attack from its soil against Israel, it would "draw a strong response from Israel and take the current conflict to another level," Israeli officials were cited as saying.
Currently, the Israel Defense Forces are on high alert, officials added, with all weekend leave suspended for combat soldiers.
"In accordance with the situational assessment, it has been decided that leave will be temporarily paused for all IDF (Israel Defense Forces) combat units. The IDF is at war and the deployment of forces is under continuous assessment according to requirements,” the military said in a statement.
To date, there has not been any official comment on the Axios report from either US officials, or the Israeli side
Zahedi was the most senior IRGC officer to be killed since the US assassinated Qassem Soleimani in 2020. The Israeli-targeted consulate building, which includes the ambassador’s residence and is located next to Tehran's Embassy, is considered sovereign Iranian territory.
In the wake of the strike, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned that "the Zionist regime [Israel] must bear in mind that it won’t be able to achieve its sinister objectives with such inhumane measures" and that Tehran will respond in kind.
Iran has the right to take action in response to the Israeli attack on the Iranian Consulate in Damascus, the Iranian mission to the UN said.
“The aggressor Zionist regime bears full responsibility for its consequences and the Islamic Republic of Iran reserves its legitimate and inherent right under international law and the United Nations Charter to take a decisive response to such reprehensible acts,” its statement read.
Iran's foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, said the aggression "violated all diplomatic norms and international treaties."
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Israel of impending retaliation for the aggression against the Iranian Embassy compound in Syria, indicating in a post on X that “with God’s help we will make the Zionists repent of their crime of aggression against the Iranian consulate.”
For its part, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that Moscow "strongly" condemns the attack on the Iranian consular mission in Syria, calling it absolutely "unacceptable."