However, Hezbollah "is still a wild card," according to U.S. officials cited by The Washington Post. Iran may be delaying a strike until after the OIC meeting in Jeddah, according to Saudi media.
(August 7, 2024 / JNS) Intensive American diplomacy and an increased military posture in the Middle East may have prompted Tehran to reconsider a major retaliatory strike against Israel, according to The Washington Post.
White House officials told the newspaper’s David Ignatius on Tuesday that they believe that President Joe Biden’s efforts to stave off a wider war are paying off, at least with regard to Tehran. However, Iran’s Lebanese terror proxy Hezbollah “is still a wild card,” the officials said.
Iran blames Israel for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week, and has threatened harsh retaliation. Haniyeh’s assassination came just hours after Israel eliminated senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut, and Hezbollah, too, has threatened a significant retaliation.
The Biden administration has been making an urgent diplomatic push to deescalate the situation, led by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“No one should escalate this conflict,” Blinken told reporters Tuesday, as quoted by the Post. “We’ve been engaged in intense diplomacy with allies and partners, communicating that message directly to Iran. We communicated that message directly to Israel.”
Report: Iran could attack after gathering of Islamic countries
While the U.S. officials cited by the Post believe diplomatic efforts are bearing fruit, Saudi Arabia’s state-owned Al Arabiya, citing U.S. intelligence sources, reported on Tuesday that Iran might be delaying a strike until after Wednesday’s gathering of Islamic countries‘ foreign ministers in Jeddah.
The meeting was called by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation at the behest of Tehran, according to the Islamic Republic’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency. Its purpose is “to discuss the continued crimes of the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people.”
The OIC represents 57 states and presents itself as “the voice of the Muslim world.”
According to the Al Arabiya report, the Americans also estimate that they will be able to help Israel “defend itself well” against an Iranian attack, but are expressing concern that a massive attack by Hezbollah from Lebanon could overwhelm Israel’s air defense systems.
Also on Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the United States had over the weekend observed movements in Iran possibly signaling preparations for an attack. According to the U.S. officials cited in the report, these included the movement of missile launchers and various “military exercises.”