Iran has signalled to Washington that it will respond to the attack attributed to Israel on its Syrian embassy in a way that aims to avoid major escalation and it will not act hastily, Iranian sources said on Thursday, according to Reuters.
Iran's message to Washington was conveyed by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian during a visit on Sunday to the Gulf Arab state of Oman, which has often acted as an intermediary between Tehran and Washington, the sources said.
A White House spokesperson declined to comment on any messages from Iran but said the United States has communicated to Iran that it was not involved in the strike on the embassy.
A source familiar with US intelligence was not aware of the message conveyed via Oman but said Iran has “been very clear” that its response to the attack on its Damascus embassy compound would be “controlled” and “non-escalatory” and planned “to use regional proxies to launch a number of attacks on Israel”, according to Reuters.
Earlier on Thursday, Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant spoke with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
The Minister and Secretary discussed readiness for an Iranian attack against the State of Israel, which could lead to regional escalation. Minister Gallant detailed preparations, and emphasized that the State of Israel will not tolerate an Iranian attack on its territory.
The Minister of Defense reflected his commitment to the security of Israel’s citizens, as such, a direct Iranian attack on Israeli territory would require an appropriate Israeli response against Iran.
On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Gallant and reiterated US support for Israel’s security.
In a statement following the call, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that Blinken made clear to Gallant “that the US will stand with Israel against any threats by Iran and its proxies.”
CBS News reported last week that the US has picked up intelligence on what an Iranian retaliatory strike might look like.
According to the report, the American intelligence indicates that Iran is planning a retaliatory attack that would include a swarm of Shaheed loitering drones and cruise missiles.
Another report in The New York Times cited two Iranian officials who said that Iran had placed all its armed forces on full high alert and a decision had been made that Iran must respond directly to the strike attributed to Israel in Damascus, in order to create deterrence.