Former defense secretary predicts Iran will strike at Israel

Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Friday stated Iran is more likely to retaliate towards Israel for a latest missile strike that hit Tehran’s consulate in Damascus, Syria.

Israel has not claimed accountability for the strike, which killed senior Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi. Reuters cited a Lebanese safety supply as the primary to determine Israel because the accountable occasion, to which an Israeli army spokesperson responded, “We do not comment on reports in the foreign media.”

In an interview on CNN, Esper predicted Iran will take motion towards Israel, however on a restricted scale to keep away from wide-scale struggle within the Middle East.

“They are going to act,” Esper stated Friday. “They’re going to feel the need, to uphold their dignity, to maintain credibility with their proxies, throughout the region, and to really meet the demands of hardliners, within the theocracy that wants to see something done.”

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Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper holds a media briefing at the Pentagon. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“But on the other hand, they’re not going to want to make this a wider war,” he continued. “They don’t want to escalate. They know that a major conflict with Israel, let alone Israel and the United States would be disastrous for Iran. So, I suspect that they will limit the attack to Israel, Israeli targets.”3

Iran has stated it reserves the proper “to take a decisive response” after the purported Israeli strike, which killed six different Iranian army advisers along with Zahedi. 

A senior Biden administration official informed Fox News Digital that President Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke in regards to the risk from Iran on Thursday. 

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Iranians burn an Israeli flag throughout a rally marking Quds Day and the funeral of members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who have been killed in a suspected Israeli airstrike on the Iranian embassy advanced within the Syrian capital Damascus, in Tehran, Iran, April 5, 2024. (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) by way of REUTERS)

“Our teams have been in regular and continuous contact since then. The United States fully supports the defense of Israel against threats from Iran,” the official stated. 

Two U.S. defense officers stated U.S. drive posture has not modified within the Middle East since earlier than Israel’s air strike in Damascus. The U.S. is monitoring the scenario given the elevated rhetoric from Iran, however has not made any adjustments to arrange for a major assault. 

“Nothing has changed from a force projection standpoint,” one official stated. 

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A rescuer works at the positioning of an Israeli missile assault focusing on the Iranian embassy’s consulate constructing in Damascus, Syria, April 2, 2024. The Syrian Defense Ministry reported that on Monday, round 5:00 p.m. native time, Israeli forces carried out a missile strike from the course of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, focusing on the Iranian embassy’s consulate constructing in Damascus. The Syrian Health Ministry reported on Tuesday that 4 Syrians have been killed, and 13 others have been injured within the assault, whereas the Iranian aspect confirmed the deaths of seven Iranians, together with two commanders.  (Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua by way of Getty Images)

Though Israel has not taken credit score for the strike on Iran’s consulate, the IDF has made a number of operational adjustments, reminiscent of canceling go away for any IDF personnel and calling up further reservists to bolster the drive’s air defense programs on Israel’s northern border, The Telegraph reported.

Israel has additionally suffered widespread GPS disruptions on functions, with some customers proven to be in Lebanon’s capital Beirut, which Israeli outlet Haaretz reported as deliberate makes an attempt to confuse Israeli drone threats. 

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IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari reiterated the multifaceted battle Israel is preventing, saying, “We are in a multi-front war. We are looking not only at Hamas but all our enemies. We look at all fronts and all threats in order to be ready for any scenario.” 

Fox News’ Liz Friden, Fox News Digital’s Peter Aitken and Reuters contributed to this report.