Pentagon ordered B-52 long-range strike bombers, refueling tanker aircraft, additional ballistic missile defense destroyers and fighter jets to the Middle East.Iran has positioned itself to retaliate for last month’s first-ever publicly acknowledged attack by Israel, officials and sources familiar with the matter tell Al Arabiya English.
Iran’s supreme leader earlier in the day vowed to deliver a “crushing response” against the US and “the Zionist regime” for previous attacks on Iran and the so-called axis of resistance, which is comprised of several Iran-backed proxies in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.
At the urging of Washington and the Biden administration, embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to limit Israel’s response to Iranian military installations as opposed to nuclear or oil facilities. The US believed this would help limit the appetite for Iran to respond again.
However, the current situation is shrouded in uncertainty. US intelligence and public Iranian statements suggest that Iran is prepared to carry out attacks, but it remains unclear if Tehran has decided when it will respond with what would be its third direct attack on Israel from Iranian soil.
Militias in Iraq armed and backed by Tehran have stepped up their drone strikes against Israel in recent weeks in what multiple US officials said was an increased but manageable pace.
Israeli media reported that the Iranian response could see simultaneous operations from Iraq or other proxies in the coming days. Al Arabiya English could not independently confirm these reports.
