The head of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Michael Kurilla, reportedly arrived in Israel Thursday, April 11, to prepare for a possible attack by Iran. Intelligence reports indicated an attack by Iran or Iranian proxy groups could be “imminent,” U.S. officials said on Wednesday.
Iran blamed Israel for an airstrike on an Iranian embassy building in Syria during the week of April 1. The attack killed three senior Iranian military commanders. Iranian leaders vowed revenge against Israel in response.
American officials claimed the U.S. was not involved in the attack. They also said Israel did not tell U.S. intelligence officials about any planned strikes in Damascus, Syria.
President Joe Biden reiterated the United States’ commitment to Israel’s security.
“As I told Prime Minister Netanyahu, our commitment to Israel’s security against these threats from Iran and proxies is ironclad,” Biden said. “We say it again, ironclad. We’re going to do all we can to protect Israel’s security.”
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responded to the strike in a post on X.
“[Israel] should be punished, and it will be punished,” Khamenei wrote.
It’s unclear if Iran will use its own military forces to directly strike an Israeli target, or if one of Iran’s proxy groups will carry out an attack.
Tehran avoided a direct confrontation with Israel or its forces since Israel’s war in Gaza started.
U.S. officials said they are concerned an Iranian attack could escalate the war in the Middle East and cause a broader conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also vowed revenge on any attack against Israel.
“We established a simple principle: whoever hurts us, we hurt him,” Netanyahu said. “We are preparing to meet the security needs of the State of Israel both in defense and in attack. I and the people of Israel trust you, and may we all have great success.”
More than 1,200 Israelis died since the attack on a small Israeli village on Oct. 7. The Palestinian Health Authority, run by Hamas, said more than 33,000 Palestinians died since Israel retaliated against Hamas.
