Israel warned the Trump administration over the weekend that an ongoing missile exercise and other unusual activity by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) could signal preparations for an attack against Israel, according to three Israeli and U.S. sources familiar with the matter.
U.S. intelligence agencies currently assess that there is no imminent Iranian threat, but officials remain concerned about the risk of escalation through miscalculation. The issue is expected to be discussed when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with President Donald Trump on Dec. 29, including the possibility of Israeli preemptive action. (RELATED: US Privately Rebukes Israel After Gaza Strike Kills Senior Hamas Commander)
As Barak Ravid from Axios reported:
One source said Israeli intelligence raised similar concerns six weeks ago, after it identified Iranian missile movements. But nothing came of it.
“The chances for an Iranian attack are less than 50%, but nobody is willing to take the risk and just say it is only an exercise,” one Israeli source said.
Sources speaking to Barak Ravid said Israel’s military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, spoke by phone Saturday with U.S. Central Command commander Adm. Brad Cooper, voicing concern over a missile exercise launched earlier in the week
Ravid continued:
Cooper was in Tel Aviv on Sunday and held a meeting with Zamir and top IDF officials to discuss the situation.
The IDF declined to comment. CENTCOM didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
A U.S. source warned that a full-scale war could erupt if either Tehran or Jerusalem miscalculates amid rising tensions.
Iran is widely assessed to possess the largest and most diverse ballistic missile arsenal in the Middle East. Open-source estimates place Iran’s total number of ballistic missiles in the thousands.
Defense analysts citing CENTCOM figures say Tehran’s stockpile exceeds that of any other country in the region, with more than 3,000 ballistic missiles of varying ranges and capabilities.
The arsenal includes short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, as well as other domestically produced systems. Iran has also expanded its use of cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, significantly enhancing its strike capability and deterrence posture.
Tehran claims it caps its missile range at about 2,000 kilometers, but even that distance puts Israel, U.S. military bases across the Middle East, and parts of Southeastern Europe within reach.
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Bibi’s at it again
So we’re supposed to jump on the next bus and stop these missiles with our bare hands?
How will this kill more Palestinians?
This time, finish the job and bomb the government out of existence.