The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran is allegedly recalling its top military advisers from sites in Syria, as Tehran braces for an Israeli retaliatory attack, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing Syrian and Iranian officials.
The news comes after Iran launched what is estimated to have been several hundred missiles and explosive drones on targets in Israel on Saturday. Tehran framed the attack as retribution for the deaths of seven IRGC officers who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on April 1.
The Jewish state has claimed to have shot down nearly all of the munitions fired at it over the weekend, while Tehran has reported successfully striking several Israeli military installations.
Now, according to the Journal, Iran is preparing for an Israeli attack and is reportedly readying its air force to intercept the strikes while its navy is setting out to protect commercial Iranian ships in the Red Sea.
At the same time, the outlet claims that the IRGC, as well as the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group, are reducing the presence of their senior officers in Syria, while mid-ranking military personnel are “shifting from their original locations in the country.”
The outlet has explained, citing military experts, that Iran-linked facilities in Syria are the most likely targets of Israeli airstrikes, as they allow the Jewish state to respond while avoiding a direct tit-for-tat exchange with Iran.
Although the US and other European nations have urged the Jewish State not to retaliate and instead be satisfied that it managed to repel the Iranian assault, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Israel will make its “own decisions” and “do everything necessary to defend itself.”
So far, Israeli officials have not yet commented on the nature of the potential retaliation but have reportedly reassured their American and European partners that the response would not endanger their security and would likely be limited in scope.
Tehran, on the other hand, has warned Israel against carrying out any retaliatory strikes. “The smallest action against Iran’s interests will definitely be met with a severe, extensive and painful response against all its perpetrators,” Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has said.
The United Nations, meanwhile, has expressed concern over the rhetoric in the Middle East amid the latest escalation, and has called on all sides to show “maximum restraint.”