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Israel has placed its military on its highest state of readiness following assessments that Iran will launch ballistic missile strikes against Israeli targets even if the Israeli military does not initially participate in a threatened United States attack, Israel’s Channel 12 reported on August 1.
Citing CBS, Israeli daily Haaretz also reported that Israel is on “high alert” ahead of a potential U.S. attack against the Islamic Republic.
While the Israeli military has not issued official public statements and the Home Front Command has not altered civilian safety guidelines, Channel 12 reported that numerous U.S. aerial refueling aircraft have arrived at regional airbases in recent days, creating logistical crowding at Ben Gurion International Airport.
The military posture comes as Washington weighs an extensive wave of air strikes targeting Iranian civilian infrastructure, including power plants, electricity grids, and petrochemical facilities, designed to disrupt power across Tehran and force political concessions.
U.S. President Donald Trump has yet to give final authorization for the operation, which reports indicate could last up to two weeks.
Iranian state media, including the Fars news agency, reported that Tehran has earmarked Israel’s offshore Leviathan and Tamar natural gas fields as immediate targets for retaliation should an attack occur.
Fars also cited oil and gas facilities, refineries, and pipelines across Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain as potential targets for Iranian retaliatory strikes.
Amid growing fears of a multi-front conflict, the U.S. State Department issued updated travel advisories on Saturday warning American citizens against traveling to the Middle East and urging those already present to “consider departing, or be prepared to depart should there be escalation.”
In tandem with the security warnings, Tehran has engaged in rapid military and diplomatic maneuvering to deter American action and fracture regional security alignments.
Directly addressing neighboring Arab states that host American military assets or participate in joint air defense networks, Major General Ali Abdollahi, commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters, warned that any country acting as a “defensive shield” for Washington would “burn in the fire of war.”
Echoing those threats, Iranian parliament spokesman Ebrahim Rezaei dismissed claims that military pressure could compel Tehran’s capitulation, warning that any strike on Iranian infrastructure would trigger a response intended to “return the entire region and its facilities to the Stone Age.”
On the diplomatic front, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi sought to mobilize regional pressure during emergency telephone consultations with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir, according to statements published on Araghchi’s official Telegram channel.
During the calls, Araghchi warned against any “adventurous action” by the U.S. and emphasized Iran’s complete readiness to respond decisively to any act of aggression.
All in all, the region appears to be just one step away from a major conflict which will see energy infrastructure targeted everywhere, from Iran, to Gulf states, to Israel. Trump backed down from similar plans in the past. However, with the war entering its sixth month with no conclusion, a major escalation seems more likely than before.
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