Iran could attack Israel in 48 hours, says report

Iran could launch a direct attack within 48 hours on Israel, which it blames for the deadly attack on its consulate in Damascus, reports The Wall Street Journal. Israel is preparing for the attack even as Iran's supreme leader weighs the political risks associated with such an attack, says the report.

In Short

• Iran might directly attack Israel in the next 48 hours, says WSJ
• Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei is weighing the political risks
• Iran has vowed to avenge the attack on its Damascus consulate

Iran is likely to launch a direct attack on Israel within the next 48 hours and the Jewish nation is preparing for it, according to a report. The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing a person who had been briefed by the Iranian leadership.

The confrontation with Israel's age-old rival Iran comes even as it is engaged in a war with Hamas in Gaza. There is no end in sight to the Israel-Hamas war.

The person quoted by The Wall Street Journal said that Iran was still weighing the political risks of a direct attack on Israel.

“The strike plans are in front of the Supreme Leader, and he is still weighing the political risk,” an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, according to reports.

The latest escalation comes with Iran vowing to avenge the strike on its consulate in Damascus, Syria, that killed a top Iranian general and six other military officers.

Iran blamed Israel for the attack, while the Jewish state hasn't publicly acknowledged or denied its role in the attack.

Israeli warplanes reportedly attacked Iran's consulate in Damascus on April 1, killing the top Iranian military commander and six officers.

The attack that demolished the Iranian consulate in Syrian capital, killed Mohammad Reza Zahedi of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps.

The strike in Damascus signified the escalation of Israel's targeting of Iranian military officials, who supported militant groups fighting against Israel.

Acknowledging the risks of an imminent attack on Israel, the US issued a travel advisory for Americans in the Jewish state.

Following the attack on its consulate, Iran vowed that it would respond to the Israeli attack but would avoid a major escalation of the Israel-Hamas war.

"Israel must be punished, and it shall be", said Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after the attack.

However, Tehran said that it would not act hastily, as it pressed demands including a Gaza truce.

Since Iran-backed Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, resulting in an Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip, Israel ramped up airstrikes on Syria against Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia and Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Published By:
Sushim Mukul
Published On:
Apr 12, 2024