Illustrative image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
General Michael Kurilla, head of the United States Central Command, landed in Israel on April 11 amid reports of an imminent Iranian attack on the country.
The commander will reportedly hold consultations with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and other officials to discuss the threat of an Iranian attack.
According to the Axios news site, U.S. and Israeli officials across various agencies have been in contact over the last few days, as the countries prepare for a possible response by Tehran to the April Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital, Damascus, which claimed the lives of at least 13 people.
Seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members were among the victims, including two senior commanders of the Quds Force, Brigadier Generals Mohammad Reza Zahedi and his deputy Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi.
Iran’s top officials, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raisi, vowed a harsh response to the Israeli attack.
Kurilla’s visit came just a day after Bloomberg reported that a major Iranian attack on Israel was imminent and could happen in the coming days.
Citing people familiar with U.S. and Israeli intelligence assessments, Bloomberg reported Iran could launch strikes involving high-precision missiles and suicide drones targeting military and government sites inside Israel.
One of the people quoted in the report said that it was a matter of when, not if, Tehran will attack Israel in retaliation to the strike on its embassy in Damascus.
Also on April 10, Israel’s Foreign Israel Katz and Defense Minister Yoav Gallantboth threatened that if Iran launches strikes from its own territory then Israel would attack inside Iran.
All in all, it appears that a confrontation between Israel and Iran is nearing. The two countries have been locked up in a shadowy war over the Middle East for decades. A direct confrontation between the two could result in devastating consequences for the region, especially if the U.S. intervened on Israel’s side.
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