The US is planning to help Israel shoot down any incoming missiles and drones from Iran and is moving two US Navy destroyers nearby, according to reports — as the Jewish state awaits retaliation for its assassination of an Iranian Revolutionary Guard leader.
The tense situation in the Middle East was compounded on Saturday after Hezbollah, an Iran proxy in Lebanon, launched 40 rockets into northern Israel.
The Israeli military responded hours later with airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces announced.
Some of Hezbollah’s rockets were intercepted, while others fell into open areas, the military explained.
Hezbollah continued to send more drones into Israel throughout Saturday, including one that exploded on a kibbutz and seriously wounded an IDF reserve soldier, the army said.
The IDF launched additional attacks on the sources of the drones in southern Lebanon, it added.
Israel is still on high alert for a direct attack from Iran, which experts said was expected imminently. However, Hezbollah’s rocket attack appeared to be just another continuation of cross-border attacks that the terrorist group has been carrying out regularly since the Israel-Gaza war began.
By Friday, the US moved two guided-missile destroyers capable of intercepting drones and incoming missiles closer to Israel in anticipation of the attack, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The US is prepared to help Israel incept missiles from Iran, which is reportedly readying a revenge strike for the April 1 Israeli attack that killed seven Iranian military officers, CNN reported, citing sources.
One person familiar with US intelligence told the outlet that the country had readied as many as 100 cruise missiles.
Tehran’s direct attack on Israeli soil would mark a serious escalation of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, which now threatens to give way to a larger regional conflict.
Both Hamas and Hezbollah are backed by Iran, and Tehran has been accused of encouraging the former’s Oct. 7 terror attack on southern Israel.
President Biden said Friday that the revenge attack would come “sooner than later.”
“Don’t,” the president cautioned Tehran.
“We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel and help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he added.
The US recently observed Iran moving military assets internally, CNN reported.
Even with US support, it would be difficult for Israel to defend itself from such massive bombardment, one expert told CBS News on Friday.
“Iran will bear the consequences for choosing to escalate the situation any further,” IDF Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari vowed Saturday.
Israel also coped with internal strife Saturday as settlers in the West Bank rampaged through the village of al-Mughayyir and injured six Palestinians, the Times of Israel reported.
Footage from the scene showed the illegal settlers firing in the direction of the Palestinians and throwing stones at them, the outlet said.
One person was critically wounded after being shot in the head.
The clash broke out shortly after the body of Benjamin Achimeir – a 14-year-old Israeli boy from Jerusalem – was found near al-Mughayyir, the Times of Israel explained.
Achimeir vanished early Friday when he went out shepherding. The IDF has classified his murder as a terror attack, the Times of Israel noted.
Before the teen’s body was found, Israeli settlers set fire to houses and cars in al-Mughayyir, the outlet said.
One person, 26-year-old Jehad Abu Alia, was killed in that initial conflict.
Tensions between Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank have heated up in the months since Oct. 7, sparking concerns that Hamas will take advantage of the conflict to infiltrate those communities.
