Iran is bracing for an Israeli counterattack on its territory or proxies in response to its bombardment of Israel last Saturday night, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
According to the report, Iran said it was readying its air force for strikes and its navy would begin escorting commercial Iranian ships in the Red Sea.
Syrian and Iranian officials and advisers said the Islamic Republic has also begun evacuating personnel from sites in Syria where its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has a large presence.
Ever since the unprecedented Iranian attack on Israel on the night between Saturday and Sunday, which saw the Islamic Republic launch hundreds of attack UAVs and missiles at the Jewish state, there has been speculation on whether and how Israel would retaliate. International powers have been pressing Israel not to retaliate to prevent further escalation. At the same time, Israeli officials are split regarding the time and nature of a retaliation.