Israel and Iran prepare for conflict

It didn’t take long, once U.S. President Donald Trump announced the United States would withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, for Israel and Iran to move around their military assets. The Israel Defense Forces reported irregular Iranian troop movements inside Syria shortly after the announcement. Anti-missile systems are being deployed in northern Israel, and regional governments in the Golan are being instructed to ready bomb shelters for residents. According to an IDF statement, the army is at a high state of readiness for potential attack. An IDF spokesperson told Reuters that Israel was mobilizing some reservist forces but was unclear about the numbers being called up. Reshet 13 reported Israeli Air Force activity over the Syrian Golan Heights, and there are unconfirmed reports of an IAF attack on Iranian missile stores in Syria.

Israel understands that Iran might retaliate for Israeli airstrikes on Iranian targets in Syria. Perhaps Israel even expected it. Now that the nuclear deal is all but dead, Iran may be prepared to respond in kind, likely by activating proxy groups on the ground in Syria and Lebanon. So far Iran has not attacked, but the fact that Israel has called up reserves suggests it is preparing to respond aggressively if Iran does attack…

The heightened posture may just be precautionary. Still, calling up reserves is a major tripwire, indicating Israel may be readying itself for more than just airstrikes.