Israel preparing for large-scale attack from Iran as US orders warships to accelerate deployment

Israel is preparing for a large-scale military attack from Iran, defence minister Yoav Gallant, has told his US counterpart.

It comes as the US defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, has ordered a nuclear-powered guided-missile submarine to the Middle East and is telling the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area, as well

The US and other allies continue to push for Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire agreement over the war in Gaza that could help calm soaring tensions in the region.

Israel has been braced for a major attack since last month when a missile killed 12 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Israel responded by killing a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut. A day after that operation, Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was assassinated in Tehran, drawing Iranian vows of retaliation against Israel.

The US has been beefing up its presence in the region. On Monday, Israel’s air force suspended travel abroad for its service personnel, a military spokesperson said, adding that safety instructions from the military for the general public remained unchanged. Meanwhile, Tehran’s acting foreign minister Ali Bagheri Kani has said Iran has the “right to an appropriate and deterrent response” against Israel to ensure regional stability, in discussions with his Chinese counterpart, according to state media.

Earlier, the leaders of France, Germany and Britain called on Iran and its allies to refrain from any retaliatory attacks that would further escalate regional tensions.

In a joint statement released Monday, they endorsed the latest push by the United States, Qatar and Egypt to broker an agreement to end the 10-month-old Israel-Hamas war. The mediators have spent months trying to get the sides to agree to a three-phase plan in which Hamas would release the remaining hostages captured in a 7 October attack in exchange for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, as well as Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza.

The Hamas attack killed some 1,200 people, with more than 250 taken into captivity in Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. In response, Israeli forces have extensively Gaza and displaced most of the population – with around 40,000 people killed according to the Palestinian health ministry in the Hamas-run strip.

“The fighting must end now, and all hostages still detained by Hamas must be released. The people of Gaza need urgent and unfettered delivery and distribution of aid,” the statement, signed by French president Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Olaf Scholz and British prime minister Keir Starmer, said.

Axios reported that Mr Gallant had told Mr Austin, in a conversation late on Sunday that Iran was preparing for a large-scale military attack on Israel within days.

US Major General Patrick Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement that Austin spoke with Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant earlier in the day, and reiterated America's commitment “to take every possible step to defend Israel and noted the strengthening of US military force posture and capabilities throughout the Middle East in light of escalating regional tensions.”

The Lincoln, which has been in the Asia Pacific, had already been ordered to the region to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group, which is scheduled to begin heading home from the Middle East. Last week, Mr Austin said the Lincoln would arrive in the central command area by the end of the month.

It wasn't clear how much more quickly the Lincoln will head to the Middle East. The carrier has F-35 fighter jets aboard, along with the F/A-18 fighter aircraft that are also on carriers. Maj Gen Ryder also did not say how quickly the USS Georgia guided missile submarine would get to the region.

Maj Gen Ryder said Mr Austin and Mr Gallant also discussed Israel’s military operations in Gaza and the importance of mitigating civilian harm.

The call comes after an Israeli airstrike hit a school-turned-shelter in Gaza early Saturday, killing at least 80 people and wounding nearly 50 others, Palestinian health authorities said, in one of the deadliest attacks of the Gaza war.

On Monday, Israeli forces pressed on with operations near the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. Palestinian medics said Israeli military strikes on Khan Younis on Monday killed at least 18 people and wounded several. Meanwhile more families and displaced persons streamed out of areas threatened by new evacuation orders telling people to clear the area.

Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report