An American air defense battery will be stationed in Israel for the first time, as part of preparations for Iran's response to a highly-anticipated Israeli retaliatory attack, Israel's Channel 12 reported.
Shortly after the Channel 12 report, Walla News and Al-Arabiya quoted a US military official as saying, "No decision has been taken yet on sending THAAD system to Israel."
The US military earlier helped Israel intercept Iranian missiles attacks both in April and on October 1. This time, however, the Pentagon seems to be convinced that the current air defenses are not sufficient, and a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery needs to be stationed in Israel.
On October 1, Iran launched over 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, prompting Israel to vow retaliation. While Israel has yet to respond, a counterattack is widely anticipated.
Iran’s government is reportedly highly nervous, engaging in urgent diplomatic efforts with Middle Eastern countries to assess whether they can limit the scope of Israel’s potential response to its missile attack earlier this month, according to sources familiar with the matter cited by CNN.
Tehran, at the same time, has publicly and privately warned that it will respond to a possible Israeli retaliatory attack. The Biden administration has urged Tehran, through backchannels, to calibrate its response if Israel attacks, CNN reported citing a US official.
While Qatar regularly speaks to the Iranians and relays back to the US what they say, the US official said that ultimately “we just do not know what [Iran] will do.”
Meanwhile, a report by Asharq Al-Awsat cited diplomatic sources as saying that Iran had finally conveyed a message to Israel, through European intermediaries, regarding its potential response to any future Israeli attack.
According to the sources, “the Iranian communication, primarily addressed to Israel in an indirect manner, indicates that Tehran would be prepared to overlook a limited Israeli strike and refrain from retaliation, despite the implied threat.”
The sources further explained that the real concern lies in the latter part of the message, where Iran warns that “Tehran would have no alternative but to respond decisively, crossing previously established red lines, should it face a significant strike aimed at its critical oil infrastructure or nuclear energy facilities.”
Possible targets
US-based analyst Alex Vatanka told Iran International's Eye for Iran podcast this week that the Islamic Republic is extremely concerned about an attack on its nuclear facilities, because the atomic program is its only major accomplishment in 45 years.
However, NBC News reported on Saturday that "there is no indication that Israel will target nuclear facilities or carry out assassinations." US officials believe Israel has narrowed down what they will target in their response to Iran’s attack, which these officials describe as Iranian military and energy infrastructure, the report said.
American officials stressed that the Israelis have not made a final decision about how and when to act.