Update: Iran launched drone attacks against Israel on Saturday. Read CBS News last cover here.
Tel Aviv — Israel is preparing for a worst-case scenario that U.S. officials say could materialize in just a few hours — the possibility of a direct attack on Israeli soil by Iran in retaliation for a strike nearly two weeks ago that killed seven Iranian military officers. Iran has vowed revenge for Israel's killing of its commanders, hit by an April 1 strike on the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital.
Two U.S. officials told CBS News that a major Iranian attack on Israel was expected as early as Friday, possibly including more than 100 drones and dozens of missiles aimed at military targets inside the country. Sources told CBS News that retaliation could include attacks carried out by both Iranian forces and proxy groups in the region to which it has been transporting additional weapons for weeks.
Officials said it would be difficult for the Israelis to defend themselves against an attack of that scale, and although they raised the possibility that the Iranians would opt for a smaller-scale attack to avoid a dramatic escalation, their retaliation were considered imminent. .
When asked Friday how imminent he thought an attack was, President Biden responded, “I don't want to get into secure information, but I hope it's sooner rather than later.” The president urged Iran not to move forward, saying his message to Tehran was: “Don't do it.”
Tehran has not publicly indicated how or when it will retaliate, so it is unclear how far Iranian leaders will go. If they decide to carry out a direct attack on Israel, there are fears that it could cause Israel's situation to explode. ongoing war against Iranian ally Hamas, leading to a much larger regional conflict.
While Iranian retaliation is expected at any time, the US State Department said on Thursday. warned Americans in Israel Do not travel outside major cities, which are better protected from rocket fire thanks to the country's Iron Dome missile defense system. The latest guidance notes that travel of U.S. government employees to Israel could be further restricted without notice as the situation evolves in the Powder Magazine region.
“Whoever harms us, we will harm them,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised Thursday during his visit to troops at an Israeli army airbase. “We are ready…both defensively and offensively.”
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On Saturday, all U.S. embassies in the Middle East were placed on alert and required to hold emergency action committee meetings. Diplomats in Lebanon and Israel was specifically told not to travel to certain areas of these countries.
Sima Shine, a security expert and former head of Israel's national intelligence agency Mossad, told CBS News that this is a dangerous moment for the region and she is “most worried.” She added that concern about all-out war was probably equally strong “on both sides, in Israel and Iran.”
If Iran chooses to strike Israel directly, it could involve a complex missile and drone attack similar to that of Iranian forces. launched against a Saudi oil facility in 2019.
“They will try to do it on the military or some military assets,” Shine predicted. “But the question will be about the damage. If there were a lot of casualties, deaths or injuries… I think it could lead to a huge escalation.”
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Shine stressed, however, that she still believes neither side really wants a regional conflict.
The United States is 'really trying to avoid war'
The United States this week sent a top general to Israel to coordinate with its close ally any response it might make to an Iranian attack. Speaking Friday on “CBS Mornings,” America's top military officer said, “we're really trying to avoid war.”
“This is part of the dialogue I have with my counterparts in the region, including the Israeli defense chief, with whom I spoke yesterday,” Joint Chiefs Chairman General Charles Q. Brown said. Jr., adding that the U.S. military was “doing things not only to prevent a war, but at the same time, one of my main jobs was to make sure that all the forces in the region were protected” .
“My role as chairman of the Joint Chiefs is to plan and prepare,” Brown said. “It’s something we do very well.”
Brown's Israeli counterpart, Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, “has completed a comprehensive situational assessment of the IDF's readiness for all scenarios,” said Friday l Israeli army.
“The IDF is very well prepared, both offensively and defensively, against any threat,” Halevi was quoted as saying in the statement. “The Israeli military continues to closely monitor what is happening in Iran and in different arenas, constantly preparing to confront existing and potential threats in coordination with the US armed forces.”
The Israeli military said visiting U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla was participating in the Israeli military's assessment of the situation.
The dilemma for Iran, said Israeli expert Shine, is how to deliver the promised response to the Israeli attack in Syria, but in a way that does not lead to further escalation. Likewise, Shine said Israel could choose to show restraint when reacting to what Iran eventually does.
If either side strikes the wrong balance, the consequences for the region, and even the world, could be disastrous.
Weijia Jiang, David Martin, Margaret Brennan and Olivia Gazis contributed reporting.
