Iran warns of expanded retaliation as Israel reportedly readies to attack

Detailed summary

Israeli security cabinet orders military to step up preparations for a possible attack on Iran, Israeli media reports.

Israel has reportedly ordered its military to step up readiness for possible strikes on Iran as Tehran warned it would expand the war beyond the region if attacked.

Israel’s security cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has ordered the military to step up preparations for an attack on Iran, Israeli media reported on Wednesday evening.

“The directives issued by the security cabinet to the Israeli military could lead it to carry out activities that could trigger a war,” public broadcaster KAN reported.

KAN said the directives were made public after Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot issued a statement telling Netanyahu – who is serving as prime minister in a caretaker capacity – not to deploy the military “without a direct and immediate threat” until the next government is formed.

Eisenkot was offered the chance to form a new government by Israeli President Isaac Herzog over the weekend after Netanyahu’s ruling coalition lost its parliamentary majority in the October elections.

Netanyahu, who is on the cusp of losing power if the opposition succeeds in forming a government, has been adamant that the war on Iran will continue until the collapse of the government in Tehran.

Reports of Israeli preparations to attack Iran come at a time of intense diplomatic efforts to avert further conflict and reach a diplomatic solution.

US President Donald Trump has said that he is prepared to return to waging war if a diplomatic track offered by Qatar fails to facilitate a deal between Washington and Tehran.

Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei said in a social media post, “If the US launches another war against Iran, every military base involved in the aggression, from West Asia to Europe, will be a legitimate target for Iran’s lethal strikes.”

Opening of the article, excerpted from Al Jazeera. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.