Iranian missile display in Tehran
Iranian missile display in TehranReuters

Iran sent a message to Israel, via European countries, regarding the expected Israeli retaliation for Iran's massive missile attack earlier this month, Saudi Arabian Asharq Al-Awsat reported.

"The Iranian message to Israel, sent mostly indirectly, is that it will ignore a limited Israeli attack, and will not respond to it as it is threatening to do," the report said.

According to the sources, "Iran will not have any choice but to respond to the crossing of red lines, if it is subjected to an attack on its oil facilities or nuclear facilities."

Earlier this week, three US and Israeli officials told Axios that US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have inched closer to an agreement regarding Israel's planned retaliation against Iran following their call on Wednesday.

According to the report, the Biden administration recognizes that Israel is preparing for a significant attack on Iran, but is concerned that targeting certain sites could lead to a sharp escalation in the ongoing regional conflict.

A senior Israeli official told Axios that Israel's current plans are still somewhat more aggressive than what the White House prefers.

However, a US official noted that "we are moving in the right direction" after the Biden-Netanyahu conversation, and another US official added that the administration felt slightly less anxious about Israel's plans after the call.

According to the senior Israeli official, the differences between the US and Israel regarding the nature and scale of the operation have narrowed.