Israel was on a high state of alert for an Iranian attack late Thursday night as world leaders worked frantically to avert direct confrontation between the two arch-foes.
“We’re on a high state of alert and preparedness,” IDF spokesperson Rear-Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters on Thursday night, adding that the Jewish state faces danger on all fronts.
Still, as of Thursday night, there had been no special instructions issued by the IDF’s Home Front Command, but Hagari said that Israelis would be immediately notified of any steps that would need to be taken.
“A direct attack from Iranian soil would provide clear proof of its intentions to inflame the Middle East and stop hiding behind its proxies,” he said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Israel’s enemies, including Iran, that it would not hesitate to strike if provoked.
“Whoever harms us, we will harm them,” Netanyahu said during a visit to the Tel Nof Air Base where he spoke to the 133rd Squadron, which operates F-15 fighter jets.
“We are prepared to meet all of the security needs of the State of Israel, both defensively and offensively,” he stated.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that “a direct Iranian attack on Israeli territory would illicit an appropriate Israeli response against Iran.”
Blinken on blitz to prevent attack
Iran has vowed revenge for the April 1 airstrike on its embassy compound in Damascus that killed a top Iranian general and six other Iranian military officers, escalating tensions in a region already shaken by the Gaza war.
Jerusalem has not claimed responsibility for the April 1 attack, for which Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that Israel “must be punished and it shall be,” adding that it was tantamount to an attack on Iranian soil.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spent the past 24 hours trying to send a clear message to Iran that escalating the conflict in the Middle East is not in the world’s interest.
“We continue to be concerned about the risk of escalation in the Middle East, something we have been working to mitigate and contain since the attacks of October 7,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said. “And specifically about the threats made in recent days by Iran against the State of Israel and the Israeli people,” Miller said.
Blinken spoke with the foreign ministers from Turkey, China and Saudi Arabia, urging them to also send a message to Iran not to escalate the situation.
The US is telling them, “we’re hoping to avoid” an Iranian attack, he said.
Tehran has signaled to Washington that it will respond to Israel’s attack on its embassy in Syria in a way that aims to avoid major escalation, and it will not act hastily, as Tehran presses demands, including a Gaza truce, Iranian sources said.
Iran’s message to the US was conveyed by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian during a visit on Sunday to the Gulf Arab state of Oman, which has often acted as an intermediary between Tehran and Washington, the sources said.
Iran’s foreign ministry was not immediately available for comment. The Omani government also did not immediately respond to emailed questions for comment, sent during the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday.
A White House spokesperson declined to comment on any messages from Iran but said the United States has communicated to the Islamic Republic that it was not involved in the strike on the embassy.
US has warned Iran not to attack Israel
White House Press Secretary Karin Jean Pierre said that the US had also warned Iran not to attack Israel.
A source familiar with US intelligence was not aware of the message conveyed via Oman but said Iran has “been very clear” that its response to the attack on its Damascus embassy compound would be “controlled” and “non-escalatory” and planned “to use regional proxies to launch several attacks on Israel.”
Head of US Central Command (CENTCOM) Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla visited Israel to discuss the Iranian threats on Thursday.
US President Joe Biden publicly reminded Iran during remarks at the White House on Wednesday that America’s commitment to Israel’s security was “ironclad.”
Blinken told Gallant in an overnight conversation that the “US will stand with Israel against any threats by Iran and its proxies,” according to the State Department.
Washington has also been working behind the scenes to tone down rising tensions, which were escalated by Israel’s military engagements over the last half-year with two Iranian proxy groups: Hamas in Gaza on its southern border and Hezbollah in Lebanon on its northern border.
Tehran has avoided confrontation with Israel or the United States, while declaring support for its allies, including the Houthis who have attacked cargo ships in the Red Sea to protest Israel’s military operation in Gaza to destroy Hamas.
US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk called the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, and Iraq to ask them to deliver a message to Iran that Tehran should de-escalate with Israel – which they did, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. McGurk’s calls were first reported by Axios; The White House declined to comment.
Iran’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday that the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Iraq spoke on the phone with Iran’s foreign minister and discussed regional tensions.
In Paris, Knesset Speaker MK Amir Ohana (Likud) spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron about the global nature of Israel’s battle with Iran and the imminent threat facing the Jewish state.
“We are approaching the moment of truth vis-à-vis Iran,” Ohana told Macron. “The regime of the ayatollahs – which even at this time is threatening to attack Israel – is not only the enemy of Israel but the enemy of the free world,” he stated.
According to Ohana’s office, Macron said he had warned Iran not to attack Israel.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock discussed the tense situation in the Middle East with her Iranian counterpart and urged all sides to act responsibly and exercise restraint, the foreign ministry in Berlin said on Thursday.
“No one can have an interest in a wider regional escalation,” the ministry posted on social media platform X.Russia, which has good ties with Iran, urged countries in the Middle East to show restraint and warned against traveling to the region.
“Right now it’s very important for everyone to maintain restraint so as not to lead to a complete destabilization of the situation in the region, which doesn’t exactly shine with stability and predictability,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said at a news briefing.
“We call on all countries in the region to exercise restraint,” he stated.
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