Multiple sources are indicating that Iran is going to directly initiate a response against Israel in the coming hours.
This would be retaliation for Israel bombing the Iranian Ambassador's house, on the Iranian Embassy grounds, in Damascus, Syria, about ten days ago.
Earlier today the Iranian foreign minister told Syrian President Assad, that he should evacuate immediately. There are now reports that President Bashar Assad, his family, and his government have transferred to a bomb shelter near the Russian military base in Khmeimim.
Israeli television, Channel 10, is telling citizens to expect an attack on Tel Aviv.
Iranian airspace has ALLEGEDLY been closed until 4/11. (I have not yet been able to verify this)
VERIFIED!
Iran has issued a Notice To Air Missions (NOTAM) announcing "Rocket Launches . . .
CNN is being told that multiple groups are expected to take part in the attack against Israel.
Lastly, the Lebanese military are currently re-positioning themselves on the Israeli border.
In Tehran, it's now 4:10 AM on Tuesday — the last day of Ramadan.
Whatever the retaliatory actions Iran intends to take against Israeli and US forces are, they'll likely come within the next 24-48 hours. (Edit: Ramadan ends at sunset with the sighting of the crescent moon, and the three-day Eid al-Fitr festival will begin the next day. Apparently, the eclipse today obscured observation of the moon and caused a last-minute delay to Ramadan's end, so Eid is now expected to begin Wednesday.)
A few hours ago, Iran's foreign minister said that "the manner in which Iran will respond to Israel will become clear in the battlefield... From Damascus, I declare loud and clear that Israel will be punished. The US is responsible for the attack on the Iranian embassy and must be held accounts."
What such a response will actually involve is not clear. But, now that Hamas has rejected the latest ceasefire proposal (reportedly because too few hostages are still alive), there aren't any significant off-ramps remaining that Iran could use to deescalate the situation while still saving face after all of their rhetoric about retaliation.
This situation is more volatile and dangerous than many people realize.
A top pro-regime Iranian nuclear expert in Tehran stated that Ayatollah Khamenei might formally end his fatwa against producing nuclear weapons this Tuesday (i.e., today).
As with Iraq in 1981 and Syria in 2007, Israel doesn't take kindly to that threat.
The newest construction at Iran's Natanz nuclear facility is so far underground that even the most specialized conventional weapons probably can't touch it.
To put it lightly, that sticks Israel and the US between a rock and a hard place.
This could get really ugly, folks. Let's hope for the best.
