Media: Israel warns of possible rapid escalation with Iran

Israel does not expect an imminent Iranian missile attack but believes the conflict could escalate rapidly in the coming days, Ynet reports, citing a defence source.

The report said the Israeli military remains on a high level of alert, though it has not yet reached its maximum state of readiness.

Israeli officials reportedly expect tensions to rise sharply after the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup, possibly as early as this week.

According to the source, the July 19 missile strike on Jordan's Aqaba may indicate Iran's attempts to expand the scope of the conflict and could signal a shift toward more direct involvement against Israel.

On July 19, Israel Defence Forces Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said the military was closely monitoring developments in Iran and was prepared to immediately resume military operations against anyone who harmed the Jewish state.

Zamir added that earlier that day the IDF had tracked the launch of a missile toward Aqaba. The Israeli military later said it had fired several interceptor missiles at debris from Iranian missiles launched toward Jordan, adding that fragments of the interceptors were found in an unpopulated area near the Israeli city of Eilat.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov