he row between Israel and Iran spiraled into further chaos this week with repeated threats from officials in Tehran vowing retaliation for the assassination of a top commander at its embassy in Damascus.
Although Israel has not publicly taken credit for the attack, U.S. and Israeli officials alike appear to be taking the warnings seriously, with the White House acknowledging the threat to Israel as “real” and officials in Jerusalem taking apparent contingency measures in preparation for a possible attack. Adding to the risk of escalation, a report released on Monday by the London-based Elaph suggested that Israeli soldiers are preparing to launch counterstrikes against Iranian nuclear sites if Iran chooses to retaliate.
How exactly Iran could conduct its vengeance campaign is yet to be seen, but one thing is for certain: The assassination in Syria could mark a grim new chapter in the yearslong dogfight between Israel and Iran.
If Tehran is contemplating attacking Israel in a proportional way, it is likely deliberating about attacks against Israeli diplomats, warned Elliott Abrams, a former deputy national security adviser and special representative for Iran, told The Daily Beast.
“The logic… suggests to me that they will see if they have the option to attack an Israeli embassy or Israeli diplomats connected to an embassy or Israeli officials outside of Israel. That would be a parallel,” said Abrams, now a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
While Iran likely does not want to trigger a broader war, Israel and the U.S. are likely interested in signaling to Iran that it ought to tread lightly in the days ahead, Abrams added.
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