Iranian attack is still a “work in progress,” intelligence officials tell Biden.
By World Israel News Staff
U.S. intelligence officials told President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris that the exact timing and nature of an expected Iranian attack on Israel is “unclear,” as the region braces for a likely assault that will involve both Tehran and its Lebanon-based proxy group, Hezbollah.
On Monday evening, Biden held an emergency meeting with the National Security Council and Harris in the White House’s Situation Room.
Intelligence experts told Biden and Harris that the Iranian attack is still a “work in progress” and that Tehran had not made a final decision regarding its scale and timing, according to an Axios report.
However, intelligence officials said that they believe the attack will be sustained and involve multiple barrages over a period of several days, with both Iran and Hezbollah participating.
Whether Hezbollah or Iran will strike Israel first, the number and type of weapons that will be used, and when exactly the strike will occur are all questions that remain unanswered.
The “more nuanced” view by intelligence officials comes after Secretary of State Antony Blinken told G7 leaders that the Iran attack would begin on Monday or Tuesday.
With that deadline nearing, it appears that the U.S. is walking back its prediction regarding the attack’s timing.
There are a number of indications that an Iranian attack is imminent, which have been noted by the U.S.
On Monday morning, Iran issued a NOTAM – a notice filed with aviation authorities warning pilots not to fly through a country’s airspace.
The NOTAM instructed aircraft to avoid Iran’s central, western, and northwestern airspace, fueling speculation that the country is gearing up to launch missiles or UAVs from those regions.
In recent days, the U.S. has observed Iran carrying out military drills and moving missile launchers, an American official told the Wall Street Journal.