On high alert: Israel braces for potential US strike on Iran and Hezbollah’s possible response

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian 

Israel appears prepared for war on multiple fronts, but two in particular worry it most: Iran and Lebanon.

While Tel Aviv monitors the possibility of a U.S. strike on Iran, it is taking every precaution for the potential involvement of Hezbollah in such a conflict.

Its air force has deployed defense systems, including the Iron Dome, to counter expected ballistic missiles from Tehran and its allies if a strike occurs. 

Air Force chief Tomer Bar inspected an Iron Dome site with military leaders and warned that the air force possesses a lethal offensive capability capable of operating deep in enemy territory.

These preparations and statements coincided with announcements from military officials that the United States is close to completing its readiness for the strike, although the exact timing remains difficult to determine.

On the Lebanese front, Israel’s security establishment has devised a plan aimed at undermining Hezbollah. 

It decided to intensify attacks and revealed that targeting four crossings on Wednesday along the Lebanese-Syrian border was intended to prevent arms smuggling from Syria to Hezbollah, which has resumed activity following recent developments in Syria, according to Israeli intelligence.

While the Israeli military uses the period of U.S. preparations against Iran to pursue its objectives regarding Hezbollah, officials in the security establishment did not hide their concerns over whether the United States will carry out military action against Iran, what the expected scope of the strikes might be, and what objective President Donald Trump has set for the military — whether it is to topple the regime or to carry out a symbolic attack aimed at exhausting the system and forcing it into negotiations.