Instead, Israel now says it believes Iran is planning an attack in the next few days.

On Sunday night, several reports said Israel expected to launch a major offensive against Iran within days, although the military tried to downplay that, insisting that instructions to civilians had not changed.

The statements belied earlier speculation that the Islamic Republic had abandoned its initial intention to launch an immediate, large-scale offensive in response to the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh under intense international pressure. In Tehran on July 31, Israel neither confirmed nor denied the execution.

Instead, Iran was supposed to respond to the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, whose top military commander, Fuad Shukr Haniyeh, was killed by Israel in an air strike on Beirut hours earlier. Israel has accused Shukr of being involved in several attacks on civilians, including last month’s rocket attack on the Majdal Shams soccer field in the Golan Heights that killed 12 children.

However, the Axios news site reported on Sunday, citing two unnamed sources familiar with the details, that according to Israel’s current assessment, a direct attack on Iran will begin within days.

This report states that this issue has caused strife in Iran. President Masoud Mezikian wants to avoid sharp reactions as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps defends Iran’s first direct attack on Israel on April 13 and 14, when hundreds of drones and missiles were fired the day before.

Almost all projectiles and drones were intercepted in this attack. One of the sources cited in the report said the situation “remains uncertain” due to disagreements. US Defense Secretary Yoav Gallant spoke to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday and told him that Iran’s military preparations show that it is preparing for a major attack on Israel.

The Pentagon later confirmed the call, adding that Austin had ordered the guided-missile submarine Georgia to be deployed to the Middle East amid tensions. It is unusual for the United States to make its submarine activities public. Austin ordered the Abraham Lincoln Task Force to accelerate its deployment to the region, the Pentagon added in a statement.

Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, speaking to Pentagon press secretary Austin Gallant, reiterated “the commitment of the United States to take every possible step to protect Israel. And he pointed to the strengthening of the US military presence and capabilities in the Middle East amid rising regional tensions.”

Stationed in the Asia-Pacific region, Lincoln had already been deployed to the area as it was scheduled to return to the United States to relieve the USS Theodore Roosevelt’s carrier strike group. Last week, Austin Lincoln said he would be in Central Command until the end of the month.

It was unclear Sunday what Austin’s final orders would be or how quickly Lincoln would travel to the Middle East. The aircraft carrier has F-35 fighter jets as well as F/A-18 fighter jets. Ryder did not specify how soon the USS Georgia guided-missile submarine would arrive in the region. When asked by journalists on Saturday, “What is your message to Iran?”, US President Joe Biden answered no. Meanwhile, public broadcaster Khan and Channel 13 News on Sunday night reported an updated Israeli assessment that Tehran plans to launch a major offensive this week.

Channel 13 reported without citing sources that the joint attacks by Iran and Hezbollah could be carried out simultaneously or one after the other. The network said the delay in the promised response to the terrorist attack was partly due to French pressure on Iran and Hezbollah not to carry out large-scale attacks during the Paris Olympics, which it said happened.

Despite increasing rumors of an imminent major attack, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Major General Daniel Hagari said on Sunday evening there would be no change to emergency instructions for civilians. “Following recent reports about Iran’s plans, we make it clear that there are no changes to the instructions of home front forces at this time,” Haqari told X.

He explained that the Israel Defense Forces and defense organizations are monitoring the movements of the enemy, especially Iran and Hezbollah, as well as those in the Middle East, and are constantly assessing the situation, saying that the army is deployed with high readiness. He added: We are ready. “

“If the guidelines need to be changed, we will update them with a regular message on official channels,” Haqari added. The escalation of tensions has led to many major airlines canceling or postponing their flights to Israel and other countries in the region.

Earlier Sunday, Gallant told troops that if Israel faced an unprecedented attack from Iran and Hezbollah, it would act as it had never acted before. “We have significant opportunities. I hope they will take this into account and not extend the war to additional fronts,” he told recruiters at the Tel Hashomer military base.

He added that Israel is fighting for its existence in a “hostile environment”.He stressed to the recruits that they had been recruited at a “challenging” and “important” moment in history.