Israeli defense officials say they are coordinating with the U.S. and U.K. ahead of an expected strike by Iran, setting the stage for a repeat of a similar attack by Tehran in April that was repelled by allies.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement Friday that he spoke with his American and British counterparts, Lloyd Austin and John Healey, and provided “a situational assessment in light of recent security developments.”
Fear has risen of a spillover from the nearly 10-month Israel-Hamas war in Gaza as Iran threatened retaliation for the assassination in Tehran this week of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the Iran-backed group.
A similar spike in tensions about four months ago saw Iran and Israel trade direct fire for the first time. Almost 300 Iranian drones and missiles were fired but most were destroyed by air defenses from Israel, the US and several allies. Israel’s drone strike in response was contained and appeared symbolic to avoid escalation.
This time, Iran’s response may be more fierce, given the embarrassment of having a foreign dignitary and top ally assassinated in the heart of its capital. Among its options are another direct assault on Israel, stepped-up attacks by its proxies in the region or hitting Israeli targets elsewhere in the world.
Austin, who earlier this week reiterated that the U.S. “certainly will help defend Israel” if attacked, spoke with Gallant and is weighing…
