Israeli intelligence warns of imminent Iranian strike

The Israeli intelligence community has updated its assessment, now indicating that Iran is on the brink of launching a direct attack on Israel in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas' political leader in Tehran, with an attack likely within days.

This intelligence suggests that the strike could occur before the Gaza hostage and ceasefire talks scheduled for August 15, potentially derailing negotiations that Israeli officials describe as a "now-or-never" moment for reaching a deal with Hamas, Caliber.Az reports citing the foreign media.

The situation remains "fluid." This new assessment, drafted within the last 24 hours, marks a significant shift in Israeli intelligence’s view. Previously, Israeli analysts believed that Iran had not yet decided on the timing and nature of its response, and that international pressure or internal deliberations might lead Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to delay, limit, or modify the retaliation against Israel.

Iran’s mission to the UN stated, "We hope that our response will be timed and conducted in a manner not to the detriment of the potential ceasefire." However, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, in a conversation with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, warned that Iranian military preparations indicate Tehran is gearing up for a large-scale attack.

Ismail Haniyeh’s residence in Tehran was attacked on July 31 morning, resulting in the death of one of his bodyguards. Hamas has accused Israel of carrying out the attack, labeling it as a treacherous act.

Hamas said that an Israeli attack killed its leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran where Haniyeh had traveled to attend the swearing-in of Iran’s new president.

A Hamas statement posted on the militant group’s Telegram channel said Haniyeh was killed at a residence in the Iranian capital. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said one of Haniyeh’s bodyguards was also killed in the early morning attack, and that the incident was under investigation. Haniyeh’s death comes nearly 10 months after Iran-backed Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages. Haniyeh became the head of Hamas’ political bureau in 2017, and had been living in exile in Qatar after leaving Gaza in 2019.