US and Israeli intelligence sources believe Iran is planning revenge for the razing of its embassy in Damascus by launching a drone and missile attack.
Iran vowed retaliation for the Israeli strike that killed two of its top military commanders and five advisers to its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Monday.
It is the latest sign of how Hamas’ confrontation with Israel could spiral into a broader war involving Iran.
The United States has gathered information that Tehran is planning to use a swarm of Shahed loitering drones and cruise missiles, according to CBS News.
Little else is known about the timing and target of any retaliation.
Intelligence officials fear that Iran could respond to the Damascus embassy attack by launching a swarm of Shahed drone strikes.
Rescuers were searching through the rubble of a building attached to the Iranian embassy a day after an airstrike in Damascus killed five Iranian soldiers.
But officials said a proportional response to the Damascus attack would involve attacking an Israeli diplomatic facility and would likely come before the end of Ramadan next week.
Iran’s Shahed drone was first used by Tehran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, and is now widely used by Russia against Ukrainian targets.
It flies at approximately 115 mph and is designed to operate in swarms, overwhelming defense systems.
It has an eight-foot wingspan and carries a 100-pound warhead that detonates when the drone collides with its target.
Senior Iranian officials have vowed to take action against Israel.
“We will reciprocate whenever we want,” said Hussein Akbari, the Iranian ambassador to Syria whose residence was destroyed in the attack.
And on Friday it sparked a public outpouring of anger in Tehran with a funeral for the seven IRGC members killed earlier in the week.
Meanwhile, a senior Iranian diplomat said Washington had asked Tehran to avoid attacking US facilities.
“In a written message, the Islamic Republic of Iran warns American leaders not to be drawn into Netanyahu’s trap for America: stay away so as not to be hurt,” said Mohammad Jamshidi, the president’s deputy chief of staff for political affairs. of Iran. , in a post on X.
“In response, the United States called on Iran not to attack American facilities.”
People attend the funeral procession of seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who were killed in an attack in Syria, which Iran blamed on Israel.
The funeral ceremony coincides with the annual commemorations of Quds (Jerusalem) Day, when Iran and its allies organize marches in support of the Palestinians.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prays at the coffins of seven members of the Revolutionary Guard killed in an attack on Iran’s consular annex in Damascus.
People watch as Palestinian members of a pro-Syrian government squad take part in a military parade to mark the annual Quds (Jerusalem) Day commemorations, at the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus.
White House national security officer John Kirby said the issue came up in Thursday’s phone call between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“There was a discussion between the two leaders about the very viable and quite public threat that Iran is making to Israel’s security on the last day, and the president made it very clear, very clear, to Prime Minister Netanyahu that he can count on the support to assist them in their self-defense against threats posed directly and publicly by Iran,” Kirby told reporters.
Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group think tank said on Thursday that Tehran’s leaders were under pressure to act.
“Iran cannot afford not to respond, lest its military presence in the region becomes unsustainable and signals weakness to its main regional enemy,” he said.
The head of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah said the attack marked a “turning point” since October 7, when the Palestinian group Hamas launched an attack on Israel that has led to an escalation of regional tensions.
“Be sure, be sure, that the Iranian response to the attack on the consulate in Damascus is definitely against Israel,” he said, according to Reuters.