MIDEAST: US Official-Iran Preparing Imminent Ballistic Missile Launch On Israel

A number of outlets reporting comments from an unnamed US official claiming that the US has indications that Iran is set to launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel in the immediate future. Official: "We are actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack. A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran."

• The potential attack comes a day after Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to threaten regime change in Iran. In an address to the Iranian people, Netanyahu said that Israel stands with them, adding “When Iran is finally free — and that moment will come a lot sooner than people think – everything will be different,”
• Israel's ground assault into southern Lebanon also marks the largest escalation in the Levant. Even if the ground assault does prove limited in its scope, a ground incursion was always going to be seen as an inflexion point in the conflict.
• Remains to be seen whether an Iranian attack would be able to penetrate Israel's Iron Dome and bypass the shield of missiles from the US, UK and others that shot down Iranian missiles and drones in the April attack.
• Politico reports a sizeable increase in the US military presence in the region, says "the US is effectively doubling the number of fighter planes it has in the Middle East, adding to a stream of deployments of American ships, aircraft and ground troops sent to the region in recent days."