Israel ready to attack Iran, while Tehran ready to respond, says NYT
According to officials from the United States and Europe, Israel appears to be planning to carry out an attack on Iran soon, a move that could further escalate tensions in the Middle East. Iranian military and government officials have already discussed retaliatory actions in case of an Israeli attack, The New York Times (NYT) reports, citing sources.
The source stated that the Islamic Republic has developed a response plan, which involves an immediate counterattack within the Jewish state’s territory using hundreds of ballistic missiles.
As previously reported by CBS News, U.S. officials have received information suggesting that Israel is ready to initiate military operations against Iran. According to Axios, on June 9, U.S. President Donald Trump warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call not to take such a step.
The New York Times notes that it is unclear how much effort Trump made to prevent Netanyahu this time. It was noted that in recent days, the U.S. president appeared less optimistic about diplomatic resolution prospects, especially after Iran’s supreme leader rejected the U.S. administration’s proposal that would have effectively limited Iran’s uranium enrichment capabilities on its territory. Netanyahu has previously expressed a desire to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities but has pulled back at the last moment.
Meanwhile, a representative from U.S. military circles told TASS that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth authorized the voluntary withdrawal of family members of U.S. service members from the Middle East for safety reasons. The State Department announced that some employees of the U.S. Embassy in Iraq have been ordered to leave the country due to “rising regional tensions.” Trump, commenting on these measures, stated, “They’re being evacuated because this place could be dangerous. We’ll see what happens.” Regarding Iran, Trump stated: “They cannot acquire nuclear weapons. That’s very clear. They cannot get nuclear weapons. We will not allow it.” Iran’s Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh declared that if war breaks out with the United States, Iran will attack all U.S. military bases in the Middle East.
