US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to travel to the Middle East on Tuesday night, Axios’ Barak Ravid reported on Monday, citing a source with knowledge of the details of Blinken’s trip.
According to Ravid, Blinken plans to visit Qatar, Egypt and Israel during the visit. At the same time, the trip is not final because Blinken is waiting to see if Iran attacks Israel or not, in retaliation for the elimination of Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Should the trip go ahead, it would be the Secretary of State’s ninth visit to Israel since Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7. Blinken most recently visited Israel in early June.
Meanwhile, US and Israeli officials told Ravid on Monday that their assessment is "that the Iranian attack isn't happening tonight."
Earlier, the Wall Street Journal reported that the IDF has been placed on high alert after Hezbollah and Iranian forces were observed preparing for an attack against Israel.
In addition, officials told Fox News that it is feared that Iran will attack Israel within the next 24 hours, during the fast day of Tisha B'Av.
On Sunday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and told him the Iranian military preparations suggest Iran is getting ready for a large-scale attack.
A member of Iran's Parliament, Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, warned on Saturday that the expected Iranian attack against Israel could last multiple days.
Ardestani, who serves on the Iranian Parliament's National Security Commission, added that Iran "is certainly prepared for the consequences of such an attack and will be ready for any subsequent developments."