Israel’s Army Radio reported that Israel has conveyed messages to its allies warning that Jerusalem will strike Iran if it launches an attack.
“We take the declarations and statements of our enemies seriously. Therefore, we are prepared at peak readiness in offence and defence,” IDF spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said.
As Western leaders called on Iran and its proxies not to attack Israel, US secretary of state Antony Blinken was due to arrive in the Middle East on Tuesday, according to US news website Axios.
Mr Blinken will reportedly visit Israel, Egypt and Qatar in what appears to be a last-ditch attempt to secure a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
Both the US and Israel assess that an attack from Iran might be imminent. “We share the same concerns and expectations that our Israeli counterparts have with respect to potential timing here.[It] could be this week,” John Kirby, White House spokesman, said on Monday.
Mr Kirby warned that the attack might be “significant” but said that it was difficult to predict what it could look like.
“The president is confident that we have the capability available to us to help defend Israel should it come to that. Nobody wants to see it come to that,” he said.