The Biden administration fears Iran poised for major retaliatory strike on Israel following killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, and is working to prepare defenses in the region.
By World Israel News Staff
The U.S. is gearing up for a possible Iranian strike on Israel, CNN reported Sunday night, in response to the assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Friday.
Nasrallah, who headed Hezbollah for the past 32 years, was killed, along with 20 other Hezbollah terrorists, when a squadron of Israeli F-16I fighter jets struck Hezbollah’s underground headquarters in Beirut, dropping over 80 heavy bombs on the complex.
Citing a U.S. official, CNN reported that the Biden White House fears that Iran could attempt a major strike on Israel in retaliation for the killing of Tehran’s senior ally – and a close friend of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The U.S. is working jointly with Israel to prepare for a possible attack, the official said, while declining to specify what kinds of threats are considered realistic, and what preparations are being made.
Over the weekend, the Pentagon dispatched American troops to Cyprus to assist with the evacuation of American citizens from the region should a full-scale war erupt between Israel and Hezbollah – or Iran.
The U.S.S. Wasp, carrying F-35 stealth fighters, and its amphibious ready group, is deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean, ready to respond should a wider conflict break out.
In addition, the Navy has dispatched the U.S.S. Harry S. Truman, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered super carrier, to bolster American assets in the area.
Last week, the U.S. and France pushed a proposed 21-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, amid reports citing U.S. officials that such a truce was on the verge of going into effect following a breakthrough in talks.
One official told CNN last Wednesday that approved a statement which said a ceasefire was in the offing.
However, Israeli officials said there was an “honest misunderstanding,” that Jerusalem had understood the French-American effort as the “start of a process,” not the signaling an agreement was in the immediate future.