MOSCOW, August 5 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told foreign ministers G7 countries that an attack by Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement on Israel could begin as early as Monday, Axios portal reports, citing sources.
«Blinken told his G7 counterparts that an attack by Iran and Hezbollah on Israel could start on Monday,” the message says.
According to sources, Blinken said that the United States believes that Iran and Hezbollah will retaliate, but «it is not yet clear what form the retaliatory strike will take.» At the same time, according to sources, Blinken said that the United States does not know the exact time of a possible attack, but stressed that it could begin in the next 24-48 hours.
Also, according to sources, Blinken told the G7 foreign ministers that the buildup of American troops in the region is for «purely defensive purposes.»
Earlier, the Pentagon reported that amid growing tensions in the Middle East, the United States is making adjustments to its force posture, the country is sending a new aircraft carrier strike group to the region, and will also deploy additional missile defense systems there.
Earlier, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the Lebanese resistance movement was moving to a new level of fighting Israel after a strike on a southern suburb of Beirut that killed senior leader Fuad Shukr. The Palestinian Hamas movement reported the death of its political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in an Israeli strike on his residence in Tehran, where he had arrived to attend the inauguration of Iran's new president. The Israelis have not commented on the allegations of involvement in Haniyeh's death, but have claimed responsibility for the assassination attempt on Shukr, who they say was behind the shelling of the Golan Heights that killed 12 Druze children.
On Sunday, NBC News, citing an unnamed Israeli official, reported that the Jewish state is preparing for a possible multi-day attack by Iran and the Shiite Hezbollah movement following the assassination of Hamas Politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh and Shiite Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr.