WASHINGTON 27 August 2024 (TDI): The United States continues to assess that the threat of an attack against Israel by Iran and its proxy groups remains significant, the Pentagon said following a series of rocket and drone strikes by Hezbollah in retaliation for the killing of a senior commander on Monday.
“I would point you to some of the public comments that have been made by Iranian leaders and others… we continue to assess that there is a threat of attack,” Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder informed reporters.
Earlier, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated that Iran’s hostile activities toward Israel are at an unprecedented level, stressing that both Israel and the U.S. must be ready to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Gallant made these remarks during a meeting with General C.Q. Brown, the U.S. military’s top officer, who is currently in the region to prevent Israel’s ongoing conflict with the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza from escalating further.
In one of the largest confrontations in over ten months of border clashes, Israel launched a preemptive strike on Hezbollah, Iran’s Lebanon-based proxy, using approximately 100 jets. Israel described the attack as an effort to thwart a much larger assault.
General Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also met with the Israeli military’s Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi.
“We are very determined to continue degrading Hezbollah’s capabilities, eliminating more commanders. We are not stopping. Our mission is to return the residents of the north to their homes in safety,” Halevi told Brown.
With three confirmed deaths in Lebanon and one in Israel following Sunday’s missile exchange, both sides indicated a desire to avoid further escalation for now, though they warned that more strikes could follow.
