Biden Expects Iran To Attack Israel 'Sooner Rather Than Later' — IDF: 'We'll Know How To Deal With It'

Geopolitical tensions are reaching boiling point between Israel and Iran, as the threat of an Iranian attack on Israeli territory hangs ominously in the air, fueled by a string of intelligence alerts.

During the National Action Network Convention on Friday, President Joe Biden acknowledged the likelihood of an Iranian attack on Israel “sooner rather than later.”

When questioned about his message to Iran amid mounting speculation of an impending strike against Israel, Biden reiterated a warning aimed at dissuading the escalation: "Don't."

“We are devoted to the defense of Israel, we support Israel and Iran will not succeed,” Biden added.

Israeli Defense Forces Prep For Iran’s Attack

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported that approximately 40 rockets were launched from Lebanon towards northern Israel, with some intercepted, while others landed in open areas or fell short within Lebanon.

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari stated in a press release that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, together with CENTCOM chief Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, have assessed the threat of an Iranian attack on Israel.

Hagari emphasized that there have been no changes in instructions to civilians despite the heightened alert of a potential Iranian attack.

Hagari assured that the IDF will provide immediate updates if there are any changes, urging civilians to maintain vigilance.

In a post on social media platform X, Hagari wrote:

"We have been at war for the past six months, and we have dealt with all the existing threats. Our defense is ready, and knows how to handle each threat individually. We are also ready for attack, with a variety of capabilities, to protect the citizens of Israel," he says.

Hagari accuses Iran of "escalating the situation in the Middle East" amid the war in Gaza. "We will know how to operate wherever needed," he says.

Hagari said that since the start of the conflict, they have been actively countering adversaries. He emphasized Iran’s escalation and its pursuit of regional escalation.

“We'll know how to deal with the Iranian threat. We are well-prepared and will know how to respond to anything,” he said.

“We've been acting against them [all] since the start of the war,” Hagari added. “Iran is escalating, pushing for regional escalation.”

Market Reactions: Major U.S. indices were all negative by the end of the session, with the VIX index, or fear gauge, up over 20%.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100, as tracked by the Invesco QQQ Trust QQQ, fell 1.8%, marking its worst performance since late October 2023.

Israeli stocks, as tracked by the iShares MSCI Israel ETF EIS, plummeted 2.7%.

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