WASHINGTON — U.S. officials have detected signs that Iran is preparing an attack on Israel in response to the assassination in Tehran last week of a senior Hamas leader, although the scope and timing of the retaliation remained unclear Tuesday, according to two U.S. officials.
Among the concerns: Iran may seek to weave an unconventional attack, such as an assassination, into a conventional assault with missiles because Iran’s barrage of 300 missiles and drones unleashed against Israel in April was largely ineffective, said one of the officials, both of whom were not authorized to speak publicly.
Another worry is that Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon will join in the attack, one of the officials said. They have an arsenal of rockets and missiles capable of inflicting significant damage in Israel and they did not fully participate in April’s attack.
A rocket attack by an Iranian-linked militant group in Iraq on a base on Monday wounded seven U.S. troops, according to a third U.S. official who also spoke on condition of anonymity. Those troops were in stable condition Tuesday. That attack may be a precursor to the larger assault on Israel and western targets, one of the officials said.
Responding to concerns about Iran on Friday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a buildup of the already-stout U.S. military presence in the Middle East. U.S. Navy cruisers and destroyers capable of shooting down ballistic missiles and F-22 warplanes have been dispatched to the Middle East, an official said.
They will join other troops operating there, including the USS Wasp, a Marine expeditionary unit operating in the eastern Mediterranean. The Pentagon has maintained a more robust presence in the Middle East since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people. The aim is to prevent the conflict from spiraling, and to protect Israel in the event of an attack from Iran or other adversaries.
In April, Israel’s sophisticated air defense system, combined with a U.S.-led allied effort, intercepted the missiles and drones fired by Iran. Ali Kahmeni, Iran’s supreme leader, ordered the attack after blaming Israel for an airstrike on an Iranian embassy compound in Syria that killed several people, including a to Revolutionary Guards commander.
Iran has vowed to respond to the latest assassination, although Israel has not claimed responsibility for it.
For now, U.S. officials remain watchful and maintain an attack does not appear imminent. The uncertainty may be intentional on Iran’s part as it keeps Israel and its allies on edge, one of the officials said..
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