The United States is ready for any action against Israel by Iran, but believe that Tehran has no legal grounds for an attack, TASS reported. This was stated on Thursday by a high-ranking representative of the US administration at a special online briefing for journalists on the negotiations for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.
„We believe that Iran has absolutely no legal basis for the armed attack against Israel with which it continues to threaten. But know that we will be prepared for any unforeseen circumstances”, he said.
The official recalled that the US has increased its military presence in the Middle East in connection with a possible attack on Israel. “We have deployed a huge amount of military forces to the region, including F-22s, which are due to arrive today. So we will be prepared for any unforeseen circumstances”, he stressed.
The representative of the US administration also added that, according to Washington, a strike on Israel would have significant consequences for Iran. “I think the consequences of such a direct attack could be significant, including for Iran, its economy and everything else that we know the new government is worried about,”, he said. The official noted that the United States is doing everything possible to contain a possible attack. “We are doing everything in our power to deter this attack, suppress this attack when it happens, and show Iran that there is a better option than a military attack,” he added.
The new aggravation of the situation in the Middle East began after the death of the chairman of the Hamas Politburo Ismail Haniya in Tehran and the liquidation in Beirut of one of the commanders of the military wing of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah Fuad Shokr. Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah blamed Israel for the incident and said they would not let it go unanswered. The authorities of the Jewish state have not commented on the death of Haniya, and the liquidation of Shokr was called a response to the shelling of the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, where 12 people were killed. Hezbollah denies any involvement in this incident.