The White House said Monday that it shares the Israeli intelligence assessment that Iran could launch a strike on Israel as soon as this week. National security spokesman John Kirby told reporters that “it is difficult to ascertain at this particular time if there’s an attack by Iran or its proxies what it could look like,” but that the U.S. and its allies were preparing for “a significant set of attacks.”
Quick Read
- White House Warning: The White House confirmed that it shares Israel’s intelligence assessment that Iran could launch a strike on Israel as early as this week.
- National Security Concerns: National security spokesman John Kirby stated that while it’s challenging to predict the exact nature of a potential attack by Iran or its proxies, the U.S. and its allies are preparing for “a significant set of attacks.”
- U.S. Military Posture: The Pentagon has increased the U.S. military presence in the Middle East in response to the heightened threat.
- International Coordination: President Biden held a call with leaders from France, Germany, Italy, and the UK on Monday to coordinate their response to the escalating tensions.
- Preparedness: Kirby emphasized that the U.S. is confident in its ability to defend Israel if necessary, although the goal is to avoid such a scenario.
The Associated Press has the story:
White House: Iran could launch a strike on Israel this week, confirms Israeli intelligence assessment
Newslooks- WASHINGTON — (AP)
The White House said Monday that it shares the Israeli intelligence assessment that Iran could launch a strike on Israel as soon as this week. National security spokesman John Kirby told reporters that “it is difficult to ascertain at this particular time if there’s an attack by Iran or its proxies what it could look like,” but that the U.S. and its allies were preparing for “a significant set of attacks.”
This comes after the Pentagon beefed up the U.S. military posture in the Middle East, and after Biden held a call Monday morning with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom to coordinate their response to tensions in the region. “The president is confident that we have the capability available to us to help defend Israel should it come to that,” Kirby said. “Nobody wants to see it come to that.” The possibility of such an attack coming this week, “is a US assessment as well as an Israeli assessment,” Kirby said.
