US sends warships as Iran prepares for new Israel attack on ‘multiple fronts’

The Islamic Republic authorises a new strike despite calls for de-escalation in the Middle East

The US has deployed additional warships and B52 bombers as threats from Iran continue to mount against Israel.
Despite being urged by the US to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) has authorised a new military strike against Israel.
The decision comes days after Ayatollah Ali Khameini, Iran’s supreme leader, warned of “a crushing” retaliation to Israel’s recent air assault on Iran last week, breaking down huge swathes of the Islamic Republic’s air defences.
Amid the war of attrition between the two regional enemies, Esmail Kowsari, a member of Iran’s parliament and a former general of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said that the response would be much harsher than the Oct 1 attack that saw Iran launch nearly 200 ballistic missiles at targets in Israel.
“While certain government officials may believe we should not retaliate, these individuals, whether within or outside the government, do not make the decisions… This decision for a military response to the Zionist regime was made by the SNSC,” said Mr Kowsari in an interview with a Tehran website on Saturday.
“Almost unanimously, or rather all members of the SNSC, have agreed on a military response by Iran to Israel.”
It is believed that Iran’s retaliatory attacks will be launched imminently from multiple fronts including by its proxies in Iraq and Yemen in a bid to overwhelm Israel’s defence systems.
According to Axios, the US has been warning Iran to back down amid the tit-for-tat strikes which began in April when Iran launched its inaugural direct attack on Israel.
Iran launched a barrage of 350 drones, rockets and missiles in retaliation for an alleged Israeli bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus, killing a senior Quds Force commander and multiple high-level IRGC officials.
“We told the Iranians: We won’t be able to hold Israel back, and we won’t be able to make sure that the next attack will be as calibrated and targeted as the previous one,” a US official told Axios as the announcement of the additional deployment was made public.
The deployment comes on the eve of the US election, with speculation that the Iranian attack could come either before or after the polls.
Earlier this month, the US sent its THAAD air defence system to Israel along with 100 troops, expecting a strong retaliation from Israel’s four-hour bombardment across Iran.
At the time, Pat Ryder, the Pentagon spokesman, said: “This action underscores the United States’ ironclad commitment to the defence of Israel, and to defend Americans in Israel, from any further ballistic missile attacks by Iran.”