Reports Iran Is ‘Ready To Attack’

Gaza: Israel has put its military on “peak alert” amid ­reports that Iran could launch an attack on Israel within the next 24 hours.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Israeli Defence Forces has moved to high alert for the first time this month after observing preparations by Iran and Hezbollah to launch a strike.

The White House said it shared Jerusalem’s assessment that Iran could launch a “significant” attack this week.

“We have to be prepared for what could be a significant set of attacks,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

The United States and European allies called on Iran to “stand down”, as fears mounted that an attack on Israel could spark an all-out war in the Middle East.

Tensions are soaring daily in the region, with the United States sending a missile submarine and an aircraft carrier group in a show of support for its ally.

Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah have vowed revenge for the killing of the political leader of the Palestinian group Hamas in Tehran, as well as a Hezbollah commander in Beirut.

International efforts to stave off an Iranian attack have intensified, with US President Joe Biden and the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Britain warning Tehran in a joint statement.

“We called on Iran to stand down its ongoing threats of a military attack against Israel and discussed the serious consequences for regional security should such an attack take place,” they said.

As the frantic diplomacy continued, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer both called on Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to de-escalate the situation.

Pezeshkian said his country has the “right to respond.”

Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh had been in Tehran for the new Iranian president’s inauguration last month when he was killed in an attack that Iran has blamed on Israel.

Israel assassinated Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut a day earlier, leaving the region on edge.