US says Iran threat against Israel credible, CBS warns attack imminent

• Published date: 12 April 2024
• Author: TOVAH LAZAROFF
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

America, France, Russia, and India issued travel warnings. At the same time, Israel's Home Front Command remained silent even as the war cabinet met and the army was on high alert for an Iranian response to an alleged IDF airstrike in Damascus that killed seven Iranian generals on April 1

"We are prepared to defend ourselves on the ground and in the air, in close cooperation with our partners, and we will know how to respond," Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Friday as he met with the head of US Central Command (CENTCOM) Michael Erik Kurilla at the IAF Hatzor airbase.

IDF Chief-of-Staff Hezl Halevi who also met with Kurilla and held a situational assessment with top army brass said Israeli forces were prepared for any scenario.

"The IDF continues to closely monitor what is happening in Iran and in the various arenas, while constantly preparing to deal with existing and potential threats in coordination with the United States Army."

US National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said that Washington was "certainly mindful of a very public and what we consider to be a very credible threat made by Iran in terms of potential attacks."

US officials have been in "constant communication" with their Israeli counterparts, to make sure "they can defend themselves against those kinds of attacks," Kirby stated.

"We are taking this seriously and so are our Israeli counterparts," he stated.

Kirby added that the United States is looking at its own force posture in the region in light of Tehran's threat. Gallant, after speaking with Kurilla in Israel, said that they had discussed the "close cooperation between the US and Israel, between our defense establishments and our militaries."

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