Showing solidarity in face of Iranian threat, US CENTCOM commander meets top Israeli military leaders

U.S. CENTCOM Commander Gen. Erik Kurilla met with Israel's top military leaders in Tel Aviv on Friday as part of concerted efforts to fortify U.S.-Israeli military cooperation and prepare for a response to a potential Iranian attack on the Jewish state.

Following the top-level meeting with Kurilla at the Israeli Ministry of Defense headquarters, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant emphasized that Israel and the United States stand united against the Iranian threat.

“Our enemies think that they can pull apart Israel and the United States, but the opposite is true, they are bringing us together and strengthening our ties. We stand shoulder to shoulder,” Gallant stated.

“I am certain that the world sees the true face of Iran, the terrorist body that incites terror attacks across the Middle East, and funds Hamas, Hezbollah, and additional forces [proxies], and now also threatens the State of Israel,” he added, affirming Israel's readiness to respond.

“We are prepared to defend ourselves on the ground and in the air, in close cooperation with our partners, and we will know how to respond.”

Richard Goldberg, senior advisor at the Foundation For Defense of Democracies (FDD), underscored the importance of a united U.S.-Israeli front.

“The projection of close U.S.-Israel military cooperation and the determination to respond forcefully to Iranian threats were missing ingredients just 48 hours ago. The president’s remarks yesterday and Gen. Kurilla’s visit today are critical resets in the political environment that Tehran must now factor into its calculus,” Goldberg wrote.

U.S. intelligence warned on Friday that the Iranian regime would likely launch an attack against multiple targets in Israel and possibly elsewhere in the Middle East within the next 24 to 48 hours.

The ayatollah regime in Tehran has vowed to retaliate for an alleged Israeli airstrike in Damascus Syria, that resulted in the assassination of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps senior leader, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, and several other high-ranking officials. Jerusalem has officially neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the strike.

Speaking to media representatives on Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden assessed that an Iranian attack on Israel would likely come “sooner than later.” When asked what Washington’s message was to Iran, Biden repeated his famous short message from October: “Don’t.”

“We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” Biden added.

Israel has warned it will respond forcefully to any Iranian attack if it emanates from Iranian territory.

“If Iran attacks from its territory – Israel will respond and attack in Iran,” warned Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz in a social media post in Persian and Hebrew.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed similar sentiments on Thursday during a visit to an Israeli F-15 Air Force base.

“We set a simple principle: Anyone who hits us, we hit them,” Netanyahu told the Israeli Air Force (IAF) pilots. “We are ready to fulfill our responsibilities to Israel’s security, in defense and attack,” the premier added.

The Iranian threat against Israel comes as Tehran is reportedly close to completing its controversial nuclear program that could lead to the production of one of several nuclear bombs. A significant attack by Iran on Israel would likely necessitate a retaliatory strike by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) on Iran's nuclear facilities.

The Iranian ayatollah regime has openly and repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel.

Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, have firmly declared that Israel will not allow the Iranian regime to obtain weapons of mass destruction, which Tehran could potentially use to realize its stated goal of eradicating the Jewish state.