NBC News, citing U.S. officials, has revealed that the Israeli occupation state has identified the targets for its expected retaliatory strike on Iran. According to the report, the response could occur at any time, potentially during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur this week.
The identified Israeli targets reportedly include Iran’s military and energy infrastructure, with no indication that Israel plans to target nuclear facilities or conduct assassinations of Iranian leaders. However, U.S. officials confirmed that Israel has not yet made a final decision on when or how the attack will take place, and the U.S. is similarly unaware of when Israel may launch its response.
The officials, speaking to the American network, noted that the Israeli occupation army is fully prepared and ready to strike as soon as the order is given.
The region is bracing for an Israeli military attack on Iran in response to Tehran’s recent missile strike on the occupation state. Meanwhile, the U.S. is attempting to moderate Israel’s response to ensure it remains “proportional.”
On Wednesday, U.S. President Joe Biden, in his first phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in nearly two months, emphasized the importance of ensuring that Israel’s response remains “proportional.” This comes amid American concerns that the ongoing exchanges of attacks between Tehran and Tel Aviv since April could escalate into a regional war, potentially dragging Washington into the conflict, according to CNN.
At the beginning of October, Iran launched a missile strike against Israel with over 200 ballistic missiles, in retaliation for the assassination of Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and the IRGC commander Abbas Nilforoushan in an Israeli airstrike on the southern suburbs of Beirut on September 27.
The attack also responded to the assassination of the late elected Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh during his visit to the Iranian capital, Tehran, at the end of July.
In response to the recent missile strike, the Israeli occupation army has vowed to carry out a significant attack on Iran, while Tehran has warned that it will deliver an even harsher response if Israel proceeds with any retaliatory action.