Israel on High Alert Over Possible Attacks from Iran or Lebanon
The Israeli military has placed all of its air defense systems on full alert to respond to any possible scenario following President Donald Trump’s decision to terminate the memorandum of understanding with Tehran.
Israel is preparing for a potential response from Tehran, as well as the possibility of retaliation originating from Lebanon, amid ongoing large-scale US airstrikes against Iran and President Donald Trump’s decision to end the memorandum of understanding. According to Israeli media reports published on Wednesday, these developments could also pave the way for the collapse of the existing framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon.
The Israeli news website Walla quoted an unnamed Israeli security source as saying that “the Israeli military is preparing for the possibility of an Iranian response following reports of US strikes against Iran.” The source added that “the military’s preparations involve placing all defense systems on full operational readiness to deal with any possible scenario, whether originating from the third circle—referring to Iran—or from Lebanon.”
The same source nevertheless stressed that “up to this point, no unusual Iranian preparations to launch missiles toward Israel have been detected.” The official further stated that “it also remains unclear how extensive the US military strikes against Iran will ultimately be, making it impossible at this stage to assess the nature of any potential Iranian response.”
According to several observers, the renewed direct confrontation between Washington and Tehran also increases the likelihood that the escalation could spread to the Lebanese front, amid Israeli concerns over possible retaliatory actions by Iran or its regional allies. Analysts warn that the collapse of the US-Iran understanding could also affect the existing arrangements between Israel and Lebanon, potentially reigniting tensions along the northern border.
Furthermore, a widening regional confrontation could provide Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with greater political and security flexibility to justify the continuation of military operations and increased pressure on Israel’s regional adversaries, at a time when his government is facing mounting domestic challenges.
In a related development, Israel’s Channel 12 quoted an unnamed US official as saying that the American strikes targeted, among other objectives, “Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps bases and drone launch platforms in Iran’s Bushehr region.”
Explosions were heard on Wednesday evening in several cities in southern and southeastern Iran, while the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it had carried out a new series of strikes against Iran.
In a statement, CENTCOM said the strikes were conducted “under the direction of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces,” President Donald Trump, with the objective of “further degrading Iran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Although CENTCOM did not disclose the specific locations targeted, the American news outlet Axios quoted an unnamed US official as saying that the US military had struck Iranian military targets in the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier on Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced that the United States could launch another major strike against Iran later that night. His remarks came only hours after US strikes targeted locations inside Iran in response to what Washington described as attacks carried out by Tehran against vessels operating in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump also declared that, in his view, the memorandum of understanding signed between Washington and Tehran on 18 June had effectively “come to an end.”
