 "Will Iran attack directly or through proxies? Israel readies for 'every scenario' as Iranian payback for Syria strike looms")
Amid reports suggesting that Iran could directly attack Israel by launching missiles from its own territory rather than via any of its proxy groups, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Wednesday bolstered its air defence array and called up reservists following a threat assessment as Iranian payback for Syria strike looms.
Both Iran and its proxy Hezbollah have pledged retaliation against Israel following the Monday attack on a consular building near Iran’s embassy in Damascus, which resulted in the deaths of Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the most senior official of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria, his deputy, five other IRGC officers, and at least one member of Hezbollah.
According to a Times of Israel report, citing Channel 12 news, Israeli speculates that Iran might retaliate directly by launching missiles from its own territory, bypassing its various proxy groups such as those in Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen.
Should Iran choose to respond via a proxy, like a Hezbollah rocket barrage, Israel may opt to let the conflict simmer down. However, a direct attack from Iranian territory would likely prompt a significant reprisal from the Israeli Defense Forces, potentially escalating tensions further, added the report.
“I won’t be surprised if Iran fires directly at Israel,” Times of Israel report quoted former Military Intelligence head Amos Yadlin as telling Channel 12 news, explaining that a January missile strike carried out by Iran on neighboring Pakistan set a precedent for such action.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has vowed revenge for the Monday strike, and posters parroting his words have gone up around Tehran, in a sign of public pressure for an Iranian response.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“The defeat of the Zionist regime in Gaza will continue and this regime will be close to decline and dissolution,” Times of Israel quoted Khamenei as saying in a speech to the country’s officials in Tehran Wednesday.
“Desperate efforts like the one they committed in Syria will not save them from defeat. Of course, they will also be slapped for that action,” he added.
Earlier on Wednesday, Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant declared that Israel is ramping up its readiness amid threats from across the Middle East.
Addressing a home-front readiness exercise in Haifa, Gallant emphasised the expansion of defensive operations against Hezbollah and other entities posing a threat. He reiterated Israel’s resolve to strike its adversaries across the region.
“We need to be prepared and ready for every scenario and every threat,” against near enemies and distant enemies," Times of Israel quoted Gallant as saying, vowing that “we will know how to protect the citizens of Israel and we will know how to attack our enemies.”
Addressing the daily attacks on the northern border by the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, Gallant said that one of the main issues Israel is facing is how it will let some 80,000 displaced Israelis return to their homes in northern Israel.
“We prefer… an agreement that will result in the removal of the threat, but we have to prepare for the possibility of [using] force in Lebanon that can also take into account the scenario we are describing here, which is a scenario of war, and we need to be prepared for this issue and understand that it can happen," Gallant said.
The alleged Israeli attack on Damascus came after Israel indicated it was stepping up action against Hezbollah, hitting sites deeper inside Lebanon, in a bid to pressure the group into stopping the daily rocket fire.
It also occurred hours after an Iran-backed militia launched a drone at Eilat, hitting a naval base, in one of the more serious attacks on Israel since war erupted on 7 October.
With inputs from agencies
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