CNN has quoted a former Israeli intelligence official stating, “There is a significant likelihood that Iran will use militia groups in Iraq to carry out a possible retaliatory strike against Israel following last week’s Israeli airstrikes on Iranian military targets.”
The official added, “This would be one way for Iran to respond without directly assuming responsibility, at least in their thinking. The Iraqi groups are geographically close to Iran and are not deteriorated, unlike Hezbollah in Lebanon, which the analyst mentioned is literally fighting for its existence.”
On Thursday, three Iranian officials knowledgeable about war plans stated that the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had instructed the Supreme National Security Council to prepare for an attack on the occupation, according to the New York Times.
The newspaper clarified, “The officials stated that Khamenei made the decision after reviewing a detailed report from senior military leaders about the extent of damage to Iran’s missile production capabilities, air defense systems around Tehran, and vital energy infrastructure and the main port in the south.”
According to the New York Times, quoting the officials, Khamenei noted that “the scale of the Israeli attack and the number of casualties—where at least four soldiers were killed—was significant enough that it cannot be ignored, and not responding would mean admitting defeat.”
The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, mentioned that “military leaders were preparing a list of dozens of military targets inside Israel, but the attacks are likely to occur after the American elections; as Iran was concerned that another wave of tension and chaos in the region might benefit the former President Donald Trump in his re-election campaign.”
According to the newspaper, Israeli leaders also indicated their readiness to launch more direct attacks on Iran if necessary.
On the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the recent attacks on Iran had enabled Israel to inflict more damage in a second round of strikes.
He added, “Israel today enjoys greater freedom of action in Iran than ever before. We can reach anywhere in Iran, as needed.”
Tehran confirmed that it “reserves the right to a legitimate response to these criminal attacks at the appropriate time.”
