The US repositioned several warships in the Middle East in expectation of an Iranian attack, according to a Friday Wall Street (WSJ) Journal report.
US CENTCOM Commander General Michael Erik Kurilla was in Israel on Friday to coordinate US defense moves with the Israeli general staff.
Iran has threatened Israel with retaliation after Israel struck an Iranian embassy complex that was being used by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
The US has warned numerous times since then about a possible Iranian attack on Israeli territory.
On Friday, the WSJ reported that the US repositioned two destroyers, one from inside the Middle East and another from outside the region. According to an unnamed official cited in the report, one of them is reportedly armed with an Aegis missile defense system.
Fear of regional war
The US is strongly concerned that an Iranian strike on Israel would lead to a regional war, which would, in turn, lead to a worsening of the overall situation in the Middle East.
US officials, reportedly frustrated by Israel’s decision not to inform them about the Damascus strike, have pushed Israeli officials to share information about how Israel could respond to an Iranian strike. US officials told WSJ this was in part to protect US forces in the region.
The fear of an attack was much stronger in the immediate aftermath of the Damascus strike, with the Israeli government scrambling GPS last week.
Israeli officials also sought to reassure the Israeli public and said that purchasing generators, extra food stores, and withdrawing cash was not necessary.
As a result of the increased threat level, several Western countries have warned their citizens of traveling to Israel, including France, the UK, and Germany.
The US also ordered its embassy staff not to travel outside of central Israel, Jerusalem, and Beersheba.
