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And not a moment too soon, either. Iran had already signaled that it would directly retaliate against Israel for the hit on Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh. That raised expectations that Iran would launch another massive missile and rocket attack similar to the attack in April, which Israel and its partners almost entirely negated, and that it could happen immediately.
Curiously, Western intel sources hear that Iran wants to time this for a Jewish mourning commemoration that is ten days off. That seems like a long wait — and time for everyone to prepare the defenses, too:
Western intelligence sources told Sky News Arabia that they had evidence Iran plans to attack Israel on Tisha B’Av in response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, which begins on August 12 and ends on August 13, the site reported on Friday.
Iran’s attack will reportedly be coordinated with Hezbollah, an Iran-backed terror group embedded in Lebanon.
On Tisha B’Av, Jews lament the destruction of the first and second Temples. During the annual event, there is fasting, mourning and a practice of self-denial. .
The report claimed that Jewish Israelis may feel particularly vulnerable on this day – adding an additional layer of psychological torment.
Assuming this is accurate, a delay could increase the psychological tension, sure. But it also allows Israel time enough to arrange its defenses and line up its allies. The Israelis haven’t wasted any time making those arrangements, the Times of Israel reported this afternoon:
Expecting to be attacked after Iran and Hezbollah have threatened to avenge the killings of terror chiefs overnight Wednesday-Thursday, Israel is finalizing arrangements with allies for a regional coalition to thwart such attacks, reports.
