American and Israeli sources were quoted as saying on Wednesday that a major Iranian missile and drone attack against Israel is imminent in the coming days, after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called for retaliation.
After 10 days of threatening revenge for Israel’s strike on Tehran’s Damascus consulate, Khamenei's voice cracked with emotion as he mentioned IRGC "martyrs” of the attack in his Eid al-Fitr sermon.
Bloomberg quoted anonymous sources as saying that “The potential assault, possibly using high-precision missiles, may happen in the coming days." It added that the United States is “helping Israel on planning and sharing intelligence assessment."
According to Axios, the top US military commander in charge of the Middle East is expected to go to Israel Thursday to coordinate around the possible attack on Israel by Iran and its proxies, two Israeli officials said. CENTCOM commander Gen. Erik Kurilla is expected to meet senior Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) officials and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Khamenei has been repeating that Israel will be punished for the April 1 airstrike that killed seven Revolutionary Guards, including a senior general who was reportedly among the architects of Hamas October 7 invasion of Israel, the onset of the current Middle East conflict.
Khamenei’s tears on Wednesday triggered cries of "vengeance, vengeance" from the crowd in Tehran’s Musalla (prayer ground). "They loved martyrdom and ran after martyrdom all their lives, and God gave them this reward for their jihad. We are saddened, but they reached their goal."
Clenching their fists and chanting "Death to Israel," people gathered around Brigadier General Esmail Qaani, who is the commander-in-chief of IRGC’s extraterritorial Quds Force, the military wing which could play a key role in any revenge scenario. His predecessor Qassem Soleimani was killed in a targeted drone strike in January 2020 in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
German airlines Lufthansa suspended flights to and from Tehran for 24 hours amid concerns of a potential military escalation. In response to an inquiry by Iran International, a Lufthansa spokesperson said, "Due to the current situation in the Middle East, Lufthansa has decided to suspend flights to and from Tehran until Thursday, April 11, 2024. We are constantly monitoring the situation in the Middle East and are in close contact with the authorities. The security and safety of our guests and crew members have top priority for Lufthansa."
Despite steering clear of direct military involvement in the Israel-Hamas conflict, Iran has leveraged its armed proxies, such as the Houthis and militant groups in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon to target both Israel and American interests in the region. But a retaliatory strike, especially launched from Iranian territory, would mark a major escalation of the conflict.
Khamenei also highlighted, "When they attack the consulate, it is as if they have attacked our soil," Khamenei said in his sermon marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. "The evil regime made a mistake and must be punished, and it shall be," he added.
In an apparent response to Khamenei, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that Israel will respond if Iran attacks Israel from its own soil. "If Iran attacks from its own territory, Israel will respond and attack in Iran," Katz said in a post on the social media platform X.
US President Joe Biden also reiterated his country's commitment to Israel's security on Wednesday in the face of Iran's threats to launch an attack against Israel is "ironclad".