Report: US Warns Iran of ‘Serious Risk’ If It Launches Major Attack on Israel

 

US officials don't know when the expected Iranian reprisal attack is coming

by Dave DeCamp August 8, 2024 at 2:52 pm ET 

CategoriesNewsTagsIran, Israel

US officials have issued a threat to Iran, warning of serious consequences to the Iranian economy and the country’s new government if it launches a major reprisal attack on Israel for the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

“The United States has sent clear messaging to Iran that the risk of a major escalation if they do a significant retaliatory attack against Israel is extremely high,” a US official told the paper.

The official said the US expressed “that there is a serious risk of consequences for Iran’s economy and the stability of its newly elected government if it goes down that path.”

The warnings were given both directly and through intermediaries, the official said. Back in April, during the last major escalation in the region that was caused by the Israeli bombing of Iran’s consulate in Damascus, the US and Iran delivered messages to each other through Omani mediators.

The US officials speaking to the Journal insisted the warning to Iran was not a threat that the US would carry out strikes in Iran but a warning about a “robust military response” from Israel. However, the US has pledged to intervene directly to protect Israel, as it did in April, and if the situation turns into a full-blown Iran-Israel war, the US would almost certainly be directly involved.

The US officials said they don’t have a clear picture of when Iran will launch its reprisal attack or how extensive it will be. The US and Israel think it could be coordinated with Hezbollah and other Iranian allies in the region. On Wednesday, US officials told POLITICO that they thought Iran might be rethinking launching a multi-pronged attack on Israel due to US pressure.

https://news.antiwar.com/2024/08/08/report-us-warns-iran-of-serious-risk-if-it-launches-major-attack-on-israel/