JERUSALEM, Israel – As the Israeli military remains on high alert for the possibility of war with Iran and its proxies, the U.S. is building on its efforts to prevent a regional war.
Iran has reportedly prepared its missile and drone units as it did before the direct attack on Israel in April, and some in Israeli intelligence predict Iran could attack within days. The situation is described as “fluid.”
To deter Iran, the U.S. has deployed an armada of naval and air assets to the Middle East to defend Israel, but the Pentagon is making clear it’s not going on the offense.
Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder stated, “We are not looking – the United States is not looking – to engage in offensive operations, and again, potentially spark a wider regional conflict. Our focus is on de-escalating tensions.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reportedly canceled a trip to the Middle East amid all the threats of violence, but he has approved a weapons sale of more than $20 billion to Israel.
President Joe Biden issued a joint statement Tuesday with the leaders of the U.S., France, Germany, and Italy. It said, in part, “We called on Iran to stand down its ongoing threats of a military attack against Israel and discussed the serious consequences for regional security should such an attack take place.”
The U.S. and other mediators are trying to make sure Hamas shows up for the ceasefire talks that are set for Thursday.
Hamas is balking because it accuses Israel of demanding new conditions for a ceasefire. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims his government has put forth only clarification, not new conditions.
Some analysts, including Yigal Carmon of MEMRI (Middle East Media Research Institute), believe Iran doesn’t want a war.
“They are an unstable country,” Carmon explained. “No one likes the regime of the ayatollahs. They have their paid people, the IRGC (Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps), the Basej. But other than that, if there is chaos in Tehran, they (the regime) are finished, they know that.”
Carmon added, “The economy is going away. All the oil, everything, the nuclear sites, are going to go. This is a high price to pay. So they don’t want to mess with us.”
Yet, all the waiting has taken a toll on Israelis.
Albert Veksler of the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast told CBN News, “Israelis are very tense, I must say. And it almost feels like they say, ‘Hey, you either attack us or you don’t.’ I mean, they’re tired of waiting. It seems like it’s very similar to the (1967) Six-Day War type of waiting when Israel waited for three weeks.”
Veksler asserts that it’s a critical time to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
“We have to bring the Christians to pray, and I think many will come, many will stand, and many will join us because they feel it is important to pray for the peace of Jerusalem at this time,” he said.
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