Dramatic days of psychological warfare and vigorous diplomacy in the Middle East unfold as high ranking U.S. officials inform a Qatar-based broadcaster that Iran is expected to respond imminently and directly to Israel’s strike on its Damascus consulate. The aim, officials say, is to provoke a rapid, potentially dangerous escalation in a region that has burned for months since the Gaza conflict began. Reports for The Guardian quoted Washington as ready not only to help Israel defend itself but to participate in the anticipated Israeli response. President Joe Biden had suggested the United States would do everything it can to protect Israel, a stance echoed by sending the head of the Pentagon’s Central Command to Tel Aviv to coordinate next steps with the alliance.
Israel and Iran have long kept a dagger at each other, mostly avoiding outright confrontation. Israel has been accused of covertly killing Iranian nuclear scientists inside Iran and carrying out other hybrid attacks, while Tehran has not been documented to kill top Israeli officials recently but has armed and funded Iran’s most active enemies, such as Hamas and Hizballah, responsible for thousands of Israeli deaths. Yet this moment feels unlike previous ones. The elimination of the Iranian operations commander for the Levant, General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, followed by an attack that struck the diplomatic mission, marks a rare, almost unprecedented event in recent decades.
This week the Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stated that the missile strike on the diplomatic legation counts as an attack on Iranian soil and called for Israel to be punished. The possibility of a direct strike has heightened public anxiety in Israel, where many residents responded with panic at the start of the month. Some rushed to stock up on food, withdraw cash, or even sleep clothed in case a sudden departure becomes necessary.
Contacts with Iran
Nobody is taking this lightly. The diplomatic stance that once tolerated the harsh Israeli response to Hamas’s brutal assault has shifted toward intense efforts to persuade Tehran to maintain restraint. Washington’s regional partners have engaged with Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who traveled to Syria to meet allies and then to Oman, a traditional mediator. Germany has also held discussions with Tehran, and Lufthansa has temporarily suspended flights to Iran.
Amid the surrounding noise, Israel has placed its forces on high alert, halted combat permissions for its units, and stepped up airspace security in case of a missile or drone strike. Public calm has returned to a degree, yet Hebrew media reported that the army is considering reopening air raid shelters in Tel Aviv. In parallel, Israeli leaders have leaned into psychological warfare. The prime minister stated that any attacker would face a measured response, while the foreign minister warned that an Iranian attack from Iranian territory would trigger a direct Israeli strike on Iran.