Iran will face “serious consequences” if it attacks Israel, the US has warned, as thousands of American troops have been sent to the region amid fears that fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon could escalate into an all-out regional war.
US fighter squadrons are being deployed, including F-15E and F-16s – fighter jets that played a key role in shooting down Iranian drones when Tehran launched a missile and drone attack on Israel in April.
F-22 fighter jets and A-10 fighter jets are also being sent, while the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is already positioned in the Gulf of Oman, while the USS Harry S Truman is underway as part of a planned deployment.
Another “few thousand” US troops are being moved to the region, the Pentagon said last night, to boost security for the 40,000 already stationed at bases in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere.
It comes as bitter fighting broke out overnight during IDF attacks on southern Lebanon, with Iran-backed Hezbollah hitting back this morning by sending a barrage of missiles into northern Israel.
The Biden administration hopes to prevent the situation from spiraling into a broader war that could potentially draw in American troops, and has urged Israel to keep its incursion limited in scope.
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in the city of Khiyam, southeastern Lebanon
Israeli soldiers work on tanks at a staging area in northern Israel, near the Israel-Lebanon border, October 1, 2024
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a telephone conversation with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant on Monday evening that the US “supports Israel’s right to defend itself.”
The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is already in the Gulf of Oman
Israel said its forces overnight engaged in “limited, localized and targeted ground attacks” against Hezbollah in villages in southern Lebanon, which “posed an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel.”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a telephone conversation with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant on Monday evening that the US “supports Israel’s right to defend itself.”
“We agreed on the need to dismantle the attack infrastructure along the border to ensure that Lebanese Hezbollah cannot carry out October 7-style attacks on Israel’s northern communities,” he wrote on X.
He added that “I reiterated the dire consequences for Iran if Iran chooses to launch a direct military strike against Israel,” Austin said.
On Sunday, Austin warned that “if Iran, its partners, or its allies use this moment to attack American personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take all necessary measures to defend our people.”
Ahead of last night’s raid, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued his own warning to Iran, which supports Hezbollah and Hamas.
“There is no place in the Middle East that Israel cannot reach,” Netanyahu said, just days after an airstrike south of Beirut killed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s longtime leader.
The group’s acting leader, Naim Kassem, said its fighters are “ready for war” and prepared to continue fighting for a long time if necessary.
Smoke seeps from construction rubble at the site of a nighttime Israeli airstrike on the Laylaki neighborhood in Beirut’s southern suburbs on October 1, 2024
Residents inspect damage after a nighttime Israeli airstrike on the Ain al-Helweh camp for Palestinian refugees on the outskirts of the southern port city of Sidon early October 1, 2024
Israel has also assassinated several of the group’s top commanders in recent days. Kassem said the group’s fighters and slain commanders have already been replaced.
It is unclear what response Iran might have to the attack on its proxy, and officials in Tehran are said to be divided over what next steps to take.
A repeat of the massive barrage of missiles and drones on Israel in April is one possibility, but analysts have suggested that Iran will not launch such an attack unless they expect the chances of success to be greater than before.
There are also fears that Iran and its allies could carry out terrorist attacks on Israel, or renew attacks on US military bases and personnel in the Middle East.
Israel bombed Lebanon from the air and on foot last night as an incursion began
Israeli army tanks maneuver at a staging area in northern Israel, near the Israel-Lebanon border
It comes after the Biden administration advised its ally Israel not to launch a major ground invasion of Lebanon, instead calling for a more targeted raid, US officials said.
But more hardline elements of the Israeli government, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, this morning called for a broader operation to “crush the terrorist organization.”
Israeli officials reportedly grew frustrated with the US and IDF after plans for the ‘limited’ ground invasion were leaked hours before the action against Hezbollah.
When questioned by reporters about the operation, President Biden appeared to confirm the claims, saying, “I’m more aware of it than you may be.”
When asked if he was comfortable with the operational plans, he said: “I have no problem if they stop. We should have a ceasefire now.”
Tensions are escalating after Israel said it wiped out Hezbollah’s top brass in the airstrike on southern Beirut that killed the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
On Friday, Netanyahu delivered a defiant speech to the UN, ignoring calls for a ceasefire from the US, Britain and others, declaring instead that Israel would continue with its objectives and defend itself against Iran.
‘If you hit us, we’ll hit you. There is no place – there is no place in Iran – that Israel’s long arm cannot reach. And that applies to the entire Middle East,” Netanyahu said.
Hezbollah has pledged to continue firing rockets into Israel until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Israeli- and Iranian-backed group have exchanged fire across the border with Lebanon almost daily since October 8, the day after Hamas sent fighters into Israel and sparked the war.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 40,000 Palestinians were killed in Israeli ground and air strikes on the Gaza Strip in the months that followed.
It’s been almost a year since some 250 people were kidnapped from Israel, and friends and family worry for their loved ones as attention turns away from the hostages and north toward Lebanon.