Israel on alert for possible strike from Iran as it vows limited ground incursion in Lebanon

(JNS/AP)  A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran,” a senior White House official told JNS on Tuesday.

A senior White House official told JNS that the Islamic Republic is “imminently” preparing to attack the State of Israel.

“The United States has indications that Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel,” the official stated. “We are actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack.

“A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran,” the official added.

Israel Defense Forces Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said on Tuesday afternoon that Washington had informed Jerusalem of Tehran’s intent to attack, but as of now, no launches had been detected.

In April, Iran conducted its first-ever direct attack on Israeli territory, launching some 300 missiles and drones at the Jewish state, the vast majority of which were shot down in a multinational effort.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the intelligence, said the U.S. is actively supporting Israeli defensive preparations. This comes after the Israeli military on Tuesday warned people to evacuate nearly two dozen Lebanese border communities hours after announcing what it said were limited ground operations against Hezbollah.

White House officials did not immediately offer any evidence backing its intelligence finding. The official added that the administration was confident in the determination.

Iran’s state media has not suggested any attack is imminent. Iranian officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

Iran already launched an unprecedented direct attack on Israel in April, but few of the Iranian projectiles reached their targets. Many were shot down by a U.S.-led coalition, while others apparently failed at launch or crashed while in flight. Even those that reached Israel appeared to miss their marks, experts and an AP analysis in September showed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a Tuesday statement that Israel is facing “large challenges” as it fights an Iranian axis. In the videotaped statement, he urges the public to listen to public safety guidelines from the army’s Home Front Command. He made no direct mention of a missile threat.