A picture of late senior Iranian military commander General Qassem Soleimani hangs amid rubble after what Syrian and Iranian media described as an Israeli air strike on Iran's consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus.
Credit: Reuters Photo
US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expects Iran to attack Israel "sooner, rather than later" as he warned Tehran not to proceed with the same.
Meanwhile, US' National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said the reportedly imminent attack by Iran on Israel was a real and viable threat, but gave no details about any possible timing.
While Iran and Israel have for long been engaged in a shadow war, let us take you through the recent standoff.
What triggered Iran's retaliation?
The recent retaliation of Iran against Israel comes after suspected Israeli warplanes bombed Iran's embassy in Syria on Monday in a strike that Iran said killed seven of its military advisers, including three senior commanders, marking a major escalation in Israel's war with its regional adversaries.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement that seven Iranian military advisers died in the strike including Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in its Quds Force, which is an elite foreign espionage and paramilitary arm.
Kirby said the reportedly imminent attack by Iran on Israel was a real and viable threat, but gave no details about any possible timing.
How did Iran react to the attack?
Iran will retaliate against a suspected Israeli air strike against its consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said, a day after seven Iranian military commanders were killed in the attack.
"Having failed to destroy the will of the resistance front, the Zionist regime (Israel) has put blind assassinations back on its agenda to save itself. It must know that it will never achieve its goals and that this cowardly crime will not go unanswered," Raisi said, according to state media.
What did Israel have to say?
While Israel did not claim responsibility for the airstrike, on the possibility of Iran retaliating, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "For years, Iran has been acting against us both directly and via its proxies; therefore, Israel is acting against Iran and its proxies, defensively and offensively."
"We will know how to defend ourselves and we will act according to the simple principle of whoever harms us or plans to harm us, we will harm them," he added.
The PM also declared that Israel was "prepared", both "defensively and offensively."
Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel is keeping up its war in Gaza but is also preparing for scenarios in other areas.
To counter any attack on the country, Israel has placed its military on high alert. Leaves of the soldiers were cancelled and additional reserve units were called to help.
Where does the US stand here?
The White House said US President Joe Biden spoke with Netanyahu and they discussed Iran's threats. Biden made clear that the United States strongly supports Israel in the face of threat, Washington said.
Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel "sooner, rather than later" and warned Tehran not to proceed.
Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden said simply, "Don't," and he underscored Washington's commitment to defend Israel.
"We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed," he said.
How did other countries react?
Countries including India, France, Poland and Russia have warned their citizens against travel to the region, already on edge over the war in Gaza, now in its seventh month.
Meanwhile, the European Union condemned the air strike on the Iranian embassy and called on countries in the region to show restraint.
Austrian Airlines, the last west European airline flying to Iran, said it was suspending all flights from Vienna to Tehran until April 18 in response to escalating tensions in the region.
This came after the German flagship airline Lufthansa extended its suspension of flights to and from Tehran until April 18 and has said that it will not use Iranian airspace during that time.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands will close its embassy in Tehran on Sunday as a precaution, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
(With Reuters inputs)