Iran is preparing to launch ballistic missiles targeting Israel, with the strike expected “imminently,” according to a senior White House official. The official emphasized that the U.S. is taking steps to support Israel’s defense efforts against the potential attack. “A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran,” the official warned in a statement.
This development follows Israel’s announcement of launching raids into southern Lebanon. The Israeli military is targeting Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia group. Hezbollah, a key ally of Iran, has been severely weakened by nearly a yearlong cross-border conflict with Israeli forces, which has been exacerbated by the ongoing war in Gaza. Much of Hezbollah’s command structure has been wiped out in the fighting.
In recent weeks, Israel has intensified its efforts against Hezbollah, killing its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and conducting attacks that included detonating communication devices like pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members. Israeli airstrikes have also resulted in the deaths of over a thousand people in Lebanon.
After Hezbollah confirmed Nasrallah’s death, Iran’s Supreme Leader Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei vowed more intense retaliation against Israel. He stated, “attacks against Israel will become even more crushing.” Despite this threat, Iran has not yet launched a direct retaliation for a bombing in Tehran at the end of July, which claimed the life of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. However, Israeli authorities arrested a suspect in connection with a plot to assassinate Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other prominent figures.
Iran last attacked Israel in April, sending around 300 drones and missiles into Israeli territory. This assault was largely repelled by Israel’s defense systems, with substantial support from the U.S. and regional allies. In anticipation of potential further hostilities, the U.S. has bolstered its military presence in the Middle East, positioning an aircraft carrier strike group, a guided-missile submarine, additional amphibious assault ships, and fighter jets. On Monday, the Pentagon announced the deployment of even more troops to the region.
Israel has set a goal to return some 60,000 residents who were displaced in the northern region due to the conflict with Hezbollah. Despite pressure from the U.S. to avoid escalating the conflict and to refrain from widening the war in Lebanon, Israel has continued its military operations. The Biden administration has been pushing for months to reach a diplomatic solution, but efforts have so far been unsuccessful. Last week, a proposal for a three-week ceasefire, backed by the U.S., France, and several other nations, was rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. Instead, Netanyahu pledged to continue the fight against Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranian-backed Hamas forces in Gaza.
The current conflict in Lebanon follows Israel’s prolonged battle with Hamas in Gaza, which has gradually diminished the group’s strength. Nearly a year after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people and taking roughly 240 hostages, the militant group has been considerably weakened. However, approximately 100 hostages are still held in Gaza, and Hamas continues to operate under its new political leader, Yahya Sinwar, who remains at large.
As Hamas’s operations in Gaza have slowed, Israel has shifted focus to its northern border with Lebanon. Israeli forces have moved brigades into the north, signaling a potential expansion of the conflict with Hezbollah. Notably, small-scale Israeli raids into Gaza last October were a precursor to a full-scale invasion of the region, which unfolded last year. This pattern appears to be repeating in Lebanon.
Hezbollah, however, denies Israel’s claims of an incursion into Lebanese territory. Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s deputy secretary general, dismissed the reports, insisting that Hezbollah has replacement leaders ready to step in. He stated, “Despite the loss of some leaders and the attacks on civilians, we will not waver,” during a televised address on Monday. “The resistance is ready for a ground confrontation with the enemy.”
Israel has consistently described its operations as targeting Hezbollah’s military infrastructure. On Tuesday, Israeli military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari reported that Israeli forces had entered Hezbollah territory and dismantled more than 700 “terror assets.” In a video address, Hagari claimed Hezbollah had been preparing to launch a deadly invasion of southern Israel, which the Israeli military sought to preempt. “To make sure Hezbollah can never carry out such an attack,” he said, “the military is taking action.”
While Iran continues to issue threats and prepares for missile strikes, Hezbollah’s role as a proxy force for Iran underscores the regional complexities of this ongoing conflict. The situation remains volatile, with diplomatic solutions still out of reach and the possibility of a broader war looming over both Israel and Lebanon.
As the situation develops, the focus is on how Israel will manage its dual-front conflict with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, while Iran’s involvement continues to escalate tensions. Both Israel and the U.S. have reiterated their commitment to preventing further escalation, though actions on the ground indicate a persistent push by Israel to degrade Hezbollah’s military capacity and deter future threats from Iran-backed forces.
