Tense Monday in the Middle East
As official and public warnings from Arab officials about the possibility of conflict between Iran and Israel have peaked, and the leaders of three European countries, in their last efforts, have explicitly warned Iran against attacking Israel, the Israeli army is preparing for a potential conflict.
The army has closed off the southern region of the State of Israel’s territory, and Israeli air forces, on high alert, have advised personnel whose service term has ended to refrain from traveling so they can be quickly recalled if necessary. In this context, the cancellation of most major flights from the capitals of Iran, Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon, and even flights from Erbil, has shown that foreign companies are concerned about the potential for conflict in the region.
In advance, tens of thousands of Israeli citizens have been stranded at airports in various countries with no way to return. The U.S. military, under the order of the country’s Defense Secretary, has gone on full alert, and the well-known American nuclear submarine has been dispatched alongside the order to expedite the deployment of the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group to the region.
The Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group is leading the U.S. F35 squadron along with special air defense ships.
Powerful F22 aircraft have also been sent to the region in a surprising move. Israeli military experts, based on security data, have been expecting an Iranian attack on August 12 or the night of August 13.
This is a holy day for Israelis, commemorating the destruction of Jewish temples by the Romans and Babylonians, and experts believed that Iran would choose this day for an attack in a symbolic move.
That day has arrived.
