US Prepares for 'Significant' Iranian Attack on Israel 'This Week'

The White House warns that the United States believes Iran could launch a retaliatory attack on Israel as early as “this week” and that the United States must prepare for an attack that could be “significant.”

The warning comes as the United States has been building up its military posture in the Middle East and publicly announcing military actions — which U.S. officials say are aimed at deterring Iran from attacking and defusing tensions in the region.

That includes the Pentagon's announcement Sunday that the arrival of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the region was being “expedited,” as well as the rare public announcement that the guided-missile submarine USS Georgia was being sent to the Middle East from its current deployment.

The U.S. assessment is consistent with a reported Israeli assessment of a possible Iranian retaliatory attack as early as this week, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday.

SEE ALSO: Pentagon chief orders submarine to Middle East, asks carrier to speed up transit

“We share the same concerns and expectations as our Israeli counterparts regarding the potential timing of this operation, which could take place this week,” Kirby said.

“We have to be prepared to deal with what could be a series of significant attacks,” he added.

A Hezbollah commander, Fuad Shukr, and a senior Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, were killed in separate incidents last month. Israel claimed responsibility for the attack that killed Shukr but did not say whether it was also behind the attack that killed Haniyeh in Tehran, which Iran blamed on Israel.

The recent assassinations of Shukr in Beirut and Haniyeh in Tehran have left the Middle East on edge, with fears that Iran will retaliate against Israel with a new strike against the country, as it did in mid-April.

On Monday, President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom to discuss escalating tensions in the Middle East and strengthening the United States' position of strength in the region.

“The president is confident that we have the capabilities to help defend Israel, should that happen,” Kirby said.

“Nobody wants things to come to this, which is why we have continued to have these serious diplomatic conversations over the last several days to see what can be done to de-escalate this situation,” he continued.

U.S. officials told ABC News that the announcement of the USS Georgia's deployment was intended to send a message of deterrence to Iran about the continued presence of the U.S. military in the region, and that the United States was capable of increasing its military resources if necessary.

In April, hundreds of Iranian drones and ballistic missiles were shot down by a combination of U.S. and Israeli aircraft, as well as Israeli and U.S. air defense systems, officials said.

Prior to this attack, the United States had been quietly sending additional aircraft and ships to the region to aid Israel. This time, the United States publicly announced that it was sending an additional squadron of Air Force F-22s, Navy F/A-18s based on a carrier to a land base, and deploying additional destroyers and Lincoln ships to the region.

U.S. officials have said the public announcements are aimed at sending a message to Iran that U.S. military capabilities could be used against an Iranian attack.

A U.S. official said the deployment of the USS Georgia – and the 154 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles aboard – also sends a strong message of significant offensive capability.

The Lincoln Strike Group is currently in the South China Sea and may take some time to arrive in the Middle East to replace the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, currently off the coast of Oman.

A U.S. official said its arrival would give U.S. military planners more options for carrier operations as the situation evolves in the coming weeks, potentially impacting whether there will be a simple handover or whether both carriers will eventually operate in the region.

“We obviously don't want Israel to have to defend itself against another attack, as happened in April. But if that happens, we will continue to help it defend itself,” Kirby said.

On Monday, the State Department said it would continue diplomatic efforts to encourage Iran to reduce its retaliation.

“We continue to work diplomatically to prevent any major escalation in this conflict,” deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said. “We obviously do not want to see any attack or retaliation happen.”

Several State Department officials say they remain cautiously optimistic that Iran will be able to limit the scope of its retaliation and hope it will avoid a significant escalation out of concern that it could disrupt negotiations on a cease-fire deal that the United States, Egypt and Qatar aim to revive on Thursday.

A joint statement issued last week by the mediators urging both sides to return to the negotiating table was intended not only to put pressure on the parties involved, but also to signal to Iran that a deal was in sight and aimed at persuading the country not to resort to military action that could derail a deal, one official said.

However, Hamas announced on Sunday that it would not participate in the next round of negotiations, casting significant doubt on the resumption of talks.

A public spat between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over support for a hostage release and ceasefire deal also threatens to undermine the message to Iran that a deal is within reach.

Despite the uncertainty, Patel said mediators “fully expect the negotiations to move forward as they should” in order to “bring this deal to a conclusion.”

Copyright 2024 ABC News Internet Ventures.

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