West Asia crisis: Israel bracing for massive Iranian attack ‘that will surpass all expectations’

As US presidential elections grab attention worldwide, the crisis in West Asia might be about to turn grimmer. Israel is bracing for another Iranian barrage of missiles anytime between US elections on November 5 and the inauguration of the new government on January 20. According to reports, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday (Nov 2) again dropped a clear threat on the Jewish nation: “The enemies, whether the Zionist regime or the United States of America, will definitely receive a crushing response.”

Watch:Israel-Hezbollah War: WION Reports From Lebanon's Southern Region of Dahiyeh

Khamenei’s initial response to Israeli strikes last month, that largely targeted military sites in the Shi’ite country, was mild and he had said the attack “should not be exaggerated nor downplayed”. However, he has adopted a more aggressive posture over the last week.

Khamenei’s chief of staff Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani also warned on Thursday (Oct 31) that Iranian strikes would be “fierce and tooth-breaking”.

The same day, Maj Gen Hossein Salami, the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, pledged the Iranian response “will surpass all expectations”.

“Israel believed it could change the regional balance of power by launching a few missiles,” Salami said. “You have once again proven that you do not understand the Iranian people, and your calculations are completely wrong.”

Israeli intelligence believes the looming attack would be much more powerful than the previous October 1 Iranian attack, involving more weapons and more powerful warheads. The attack may be launched from Iraq, where Iran’s powerful Shia militias are active.

Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that any new Iranian attacks would be met with a rapid response. While addressing a graduation ceremony on Thursday, Netanyahu said, “Regarding Iran, we struck its soft underbelly … The haughty words of the Iranian regime’s leaders cannot cover up the fact that in Iran today, Israel has greater freedom of action than ever before. We can go anywhere that we need to in Iran.”

The US has also stepped up its defence support to Israel in the region. In October, a squadron of F-16 fighters and refuelling tankers was deployed in Qatar. Now, six additional US B-52 bombers are also believed to have arrived over the weekend.

(With inputs from agencies)