Illustrative image (The Israeli Defense Forces)
Egyptian officials told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed on April 18 that the United States had approved Israel’s plan for an operation in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, in return for not carrying out a large strike in Iran in response to Tehran’s unprecedented missile and drone attack.
“The American administration showed acceptance of the plan previously presented by the occupation government regarding the military operation in Rafah, in exchange for not carrying out a large-scale attack against Iran,” the official told the Qatari-owned news outlet.
The unnamed official added that preparations are underway so that Egypt can deal with any possible impact of the planned operation.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel over the night of April 13 and 14 in response to an Israeli strike that targeted Iran’s embassy in the Syrian capital, Damascus, at the beginning of the month and killed a number of its senior members.
Israel has vowed to respond, without saying when or how, while its allies have called on both sides to avoid further escalation.
The Israeli military has been preparing to launch an operation in Rafah for the last few months. More than 1,5 million Palestinains are said to be taking shelter in the city and its surroundings. Objection from the U.S. and other allies has been hindering an Israeli decision on the operation.
While Al-Araby Al-Jadeed’s report suggests that Israel would cancel a retaliatory strike against Iran in exchange for a green light to attack Rafah, other reports indicate that the Israeli military is still determined to respond to the unprecedented attack by the IRGC.
However, Israel is unlikely to carry out a strike on Iran before the end of Passover, a U.S. official told ABC News on April 18 while acknowledging the timing could change. The Jewish holiday begins on April 22 evening and runs through the end of the month.
The news network also quoted Israeli sources as saying Israel twice readied for and then dropped plans to strike Iran this past week
Senior Iranian officials, including President Ebrahim Raisi, have already warned Israel that any strike on the country’s territory will be met with a very harsh response. The U.S. was also warned by Tehran against taking part in any Israeli attack.
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