White House says Iran attack on Israel is imminent

livemint.com:

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Iran is preparing to launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel, a senior White House official said Tuesday, a significant escalation that threatens to spark an all-out war in the Middle East that the Biden administration has desperately tried to avoid. The expected barrage comes days after Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and hours after the Israeli military confirmed a limited military operation inside Lebanon.

The U.S. will help Israel defend itself against the expected strikes, the official said, similarly to how it shot down missiles and drones when Iran launched a similar attack in April. It’s unclear if Iran’s operation will begin Tuesday or start in a few days.

But U.S. officials and analysts expected Iran would retaliate in some way as it is Hezbollah’s major patron, requiring it to respond or risk losing regional credibility. “The United States has indications that Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel," the senior White House official said.

“We are actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack. A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran." The Iranian mission to the United Nations didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Michael R. Gordon, Nancy A. Youssef and Lara Seligman contributed to this article. Write to Alexander Ward at alex.ward@wsj.com