Iran missile strike/ Israel-Hezbollah conflict/ U.S. response to Iran/ Israeli military operations/ Lebanon evacuation/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ The U.S. has warned that Iran is preparing an imminent ballistic missile strike on Israel, threatening “severe consequences” if it occurs. The warning comes as tensions escalate between Israel and Hezbollah along the Lebanese border. Israeli forces continue limited ground operations in Lebanon, with Hezbollah retaliating by firing rockets.
Iran’s Missile Threat on Israel Quick Looks
- U.S. Warning: Iran preparing to imminently launch a missile strike on Israel.
- U.S. Support: The U.S. is assisting Israel in defense preparations.
- Hezbollah-Israel Conflict: Israel carries out ground raids into Lebanon, Hezbollah fires rockets in retaliation.
- Impact on Lebanon: Israel advises evacuation of Lebanese border towns, Hezbollah claims new missile strikes on Israeli targets.
Iran Plans Imminent Attack on Israel, U.S. Pledges Response
Deep Look
The United States has issued a stark warning, saying that Iran is preparing to launch an imminent ballistic missile attack on Israel. According to a senior U.S. administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the U.S. has pledged “severe consequences” should the attack proceed. This warning arrives as tensions in the Middle East intensify, with Israel actively defending its northern border against Hezbollah, a powerful Iran-backed militant group.
As of Tuesday, Israel’s military urged residents in nearly two dozen border communities in Lebanon to evacuate. This follows Israel’s announcement of limited ground operations aimed at dismantling Hezbollah’s infrastructure. While Hezbollah denied any Israeli forces had crossed into Lebanon, Israeli officials released video footage allegedly showing troops destroying Hezbollah weapons caches and operating in tunnels within Lebanese territory.
In a broader context, Hezbollah has been reeling from targeted strikes that killed its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and several of his top commanders. Israeli military officials have stated that their raids are designed to prevent future Hezbollah attacks, as tensions along the border have been steadily escalating.
Iran’s potential missile strike on Israel could significantly escalate the conflict. U.S. officials have confirmed that they are working closely with Israel to bolster its defenses in anticipation of such an attack. The Israeli military has already put new restrictions in place on public gatherings and closed northern beaches in preparation for further conflict.
Ground Raids and Border Tensions
Although Hezbollah denied Israeli incursions into Lebanon, Israeli military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari insisted that troops had conducted localized ground raids to weaken Hezbollah’s stronghold near the border. These raids, according to Hagari, have been ongoing since Oct. 8, shortly after the start of the war in Gaza. Israeli forces reportedly targeted Hezbollah’s tunnels and weapons to protect northern Israeli communities from possible attacks.
The raids are intended to dismantle the military infrastructure Hezbollah has built up over years, threatening Israel from within southern Lebanon. Hagari emphasized that these operations are limited to areas adjacent to Israel’s northern border and are not part of a larger push toward Beirut.
Hezbollah’s Missile Attack
In response to Israel’s ongoing raids, Hezbollah fired a barrage of rockets, including a new medium-range missile called the Fadi 4, at targets in central Israel. One of the targets was a reported intelligence agency near Tel Aviv. Although Hezbollah claimed this attack was “only the beginning,” Israel reported that the missile salvos wounded only one person. Israeli military officials have confirmed that Hezbollah also launched projectiles targeting Israeli border communities, but no Israeli soldiers were injured in these strikes.
U.S. and Iran Tensions
The threat of an Iranian missile strike could ignite a broader conflict in the region, involving not only Israel and Hezbollah but also Iran and possibly the United States. In recent weeks, the U.S. has increased its military presence in the Middle East, deploying additional assets to support Israel. The possibility of an Iranian ballistic missile strike represents a new phase of the conflict, and U.S. officials have vowed to respond with significant force if the attack occurs.
Iran’s potential involvement follows weeks of Israeli airstrikes that have severely weakened Hezbollah’s leadership. Israeli strikes have wiped out many of Hezbollah’s top commanders, disrupting the group’s leadership structure. Despite these losses, Hezbollah’s acting leader, Naim Kassem, has pledged to continue fighting. Kassem, in a televised statement, claimed that Hezbollah had already replaced its fallen commanders and would remain operational in the conflict against Israel.
Escalating Conflict in Lebanon
As the fighting intensifies, Israel has advised Lebanese citizens living near the Awali River, located about 60 kilometers from the Israeli border, to evacuate. The river lies well beyond the Litani River, which previously served as a demilitarized buffer zone under a U.N.-declared resolution following the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel has accused Hezbollah of violating the terms of that resolution, allowing the group to heavily fortify positions in southern Lebanon.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati of Lebanon has expressed willingness to deploy Lebanese armed forces to uphold the 2006 resolution, provided there is a cease-fire. However, it is unlikely that Lebanon’s military will be able to control Hezbollah’s activities without international intervention, as the group remains a far more powerful force within the country.
Over the past two weeks, more than 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon, many of them women and children, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes, in response to rocket fire from Hezbollah, have devastated parts of southern Lebanon, displacing hundreds of thousands of people.
Hezbollah, which boasts tens of thousands of fighters and an arsenal of around 150,000 rockets, has been preparing for this potential conflict since its last major battle with Israel in 2006. Despite its losses, Hezbollah remains a formidable force in the region, and Israel’s latest incursions seem designed to prevent further escalations.
International Response
The potential for a wider Middle Eastern conflict has prompted European countries to begin evacuating their citizens from Lebanon. The U.K. has chartered a flight to evacuate British nationals from Beirut and has sent 700 troops to a base in Cyprus to prepare for a broader evacuation effort.
As Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah escalates and the threat of Iranian involvement looms, the region braces for an uncertain future. Both Hezbollah and Israel are engaged in a cycle of retaliation, each side preparing for a potential wider conflict that could draw in global powers, including Iran and the U.S.
