Israel heightens alert as US weighs options for potential Iran strike

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian 

Israel interpreted a post by U.S. President Donald Trump addressed to Iranians, in which he said help was coming, as a reference to a possible U.S. strike on Iran, leaving open questions about how and when.

On that basis, the Israeli military raised its level of readiness across all fronts, anticipating a scenario in which Tehran activates its regional proxies, from the Houthis in Yemen to Hezbollah in Lebanon, and potentially recruits operatives in Syria and Iraq.

Tel Aviv is coordinating with the U.S. Central Command. Over the past 24 hours, Israel raised the alert level of the air force, the Military Intelligence Directorate, and the Northern Command to the highest degree. It also continued drills simulating a rapid transition to a state of emergency, including the takeoff of the “Wing of Zion” aircraft used by the prime minister from Ben Gurion Airport.

Regarding the possibility of targeting Iran, a security official said the nature of any U.S. strike that Trump would approve remains unclear.

Several options are under consideration, ranging from the use of aircraft carriers to B-2 bombers.

As for the targets, Tel Aviv says they would include rapid strikes on regime-linked sites or military facilities, in what would be considered a symbolic move, avoiding nuclear installations or ballistic missile systems.

According to information disclosed in Israel, the strike would not be carried out before the start of next week, amid assessments presented during the most recent meeting of the political-security Cabinet indicating that Washington would carry out a strike aimed at pressuring Tehran to open a negotiating track.

Domestically, military censorship has imposed a ban on publishing any information related to preparations for a potential Iranian attack, except for what has been authorized regarding heightened alert levels within army units across all fronts.