Iran May Launch Airstrikes on Israel Within 48 Hours... US Says "No Rush"

A warning has been issued that Iran could attack Israeli territory within two days in retaliation for Iran's attack on its consulate in Syria. Although Iran has conveyed to the U.S. that it will not act rashly, tensions in the Middle East are escalating further.

According to foreign media including the U.S. Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 11th (local time), Israel is strengthening its preparedness, anticipating a direct Iranian attack on its territory within the next 48 hours.

[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 1st of this month, Iran's consulate in Damascus, the capital of Syria, was bombed, killing senior commanders of the elite Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran has pointed to Israel as the mastermind and vowed retaliation.

The Israeli Defense Minister warned that Israel would respond directly if Iran attacks. As the risk of escalation grows, the U.S. reportedly requested China and others to persuade Iran not to carry out retaliatory attacks.

It remains unclear whether Iran's retaliatory military operation will actually be carried out and at what level.

Earlier, major foreign media reported, citing Iranian sources, that Iran conveyed to the U.S. its intention to respond in a way that does not escalate tensions and that it would not rush retaliation.

In particular, Iran demanded assurances that the U.S. would not intervene if Iran attacks Israel in a controlled manner, and sources said the U.S. rejected this demand in a response delivered through Oman.

International efforts to prevent the spread of regional conflict are also accelerating.

The British daily Financial Times (FT) reported that the U.S. requested China, T?rkiye, and Saudi Arabia to persuade Iran not to retaliate against Israel.

According to the report, amid growing concerns that Iran's retaliatory attack is imminent, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke this week with foreign ministers including Wang Yi, director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Office of the Chinese Communist Party and Minister of Foreign Affairs of China.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also called Iran’s Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian on the same day, urging him not to retaliate against Israel.