Reports Indicate at Least One Missile Struck Ain al-Asad Base

A U.S. Department of Defense official told Voice of America regarding reports of a missile attack on Ain al-Asad base in Iraq that the Pentagon is aware of these reports but has "nothing to share at this time." Al Jazeera reported on Monday afternoon, citing an Iraqi security source, that at least one missile struck the Ain al-Asad base, where U.S. and international coalition forces against ISIS are stationed in Anbar province, Iraq. Al Jazeera had also reported about an hour earlier that two explosions occurred near Ain al-Asad. The U.S. has not yet reacted to this news. Earlier, the Jerusalem Post reported on Monday, amid growing global concerns about the potential for war in the Middle East, that Iran has decided to attack Israel, citing Israel Katz, the Israeli Foreign Minister. Katz stated that Ali Bagheri Kani, the head of the Foreign Ministry, conveyed the message of an attack on Israel to Peter Szijjarto, the Hungarian Foreign Minister, and that Szijjarto informed Katz directly about this decision of the Islamic Republic. Katz further emphasized that the world must impose costs on the Islamic Republic for every aggressive action it takes. The Times of Israel reported on Monday, citing two informed officials, that ceasefire-hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas have effectively been suspended until after a potential Iranian attack on Israel and the appointment of a new Hamas leader. Although the Islamic Republic insists on what it calls a "retaliatory" attack on Israel despite international warnings, according to these two sources, there is no precise and reliable information about the timing of this attack. They also added that Hamas is likely to appoint its future leader in the coming days. According to these sources, Qatari, Egyptian, and American negotiators will resume talks for a ceasefire and the return of hostages after these two matters are resolved. One of these sources stated that the Israeli negotiating team's visit to Egypt on Saturday focused on the deployment of Israeli military forces in the Philadelphi corridor and the Rafah border crossing, and that Hamas did not even have an indirect presence in these negotiations and no progress was made. According to him, Qatar had no representative in the negotiations between Israel and Egypt on Saturday. Concurrently, with speculation about an imminent military confrontation between the Iranian government and Israel, the Islamic Republic issued a warning regarding aircraft flights in central, western, and northwestern Iran. According to this notice, referred to in aviation as "NOTAM," there is an emphasis on the possibility of GPS disruption throughout Iran, and aircraft are advised to change their flight paths. GPS disruption may be intended to complicate targeting by guided missiles. In this context, Lufthansa Airlines, which temporarily suspended its flights to Iran, announced that it would avoid flying over Iranian and Iraqi airspace. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing "informed sources," that the Iranian government told some diplomats from Arab countries on Saturday that it does not care if its response to the deadly attack on Ismail Haniyeh leads to a regional war. Furthermore, the public relations office of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed in a statement on Saturday that Israel "designed and executed" the operation that killed Haniyeh and that the U.S. "supported" it. The IRGC threatened that it would respond to Haniyeh's killing at a "time, place, and manner deemed appropriate." This is while Israeli officials have not taken responsibility for Haniyeh's death in Tehran, and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has also emphasized that the U.S. was not involved in the killing of the Hamas political leader and was not aware of it. In this context, Yoav Gallant, the Israeli Defense Minister, spoke on Sunday night with his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin, amid escalating tensions over the anticipated Iranian and Hezbollah attack on Israel. The Times of Israel reported, citing the country's Ministry of Defense, that Gallant explained to Austin about "security developments in the region and the readiness of the Israeli army to defend Israel against potential threats from [the Iranian government] and its proxy forces." Gallant's office announced after this nighttime call that "he discussed a series of scenarios and related defensive and offensive capabilities." According to this report, Gallant expressed his appreciation to Austin for the close military and strategic coordination between Israel and the United States, including the current and future deployment of U.S. military capabilities and troop status changes to defend Israel, as well as the importance of U.S. leadership in forming a coalition of allies and partners to defend Israel and the region against a wide range of aerial attacks. Lloyd Austin, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, also stated that he emphasized the U.S.'s strong support for Israel's right to defend itself against threats from the Iranian government, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis, and other terrorist groups that receive support from [the Islamic Republic]. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, said on Sunday during his weekly cabinet meeting that his country is in a "multi-front war against the axis of evil in Iran" and emphasized that Israel is prepared for "any scenario, whether offensive or defensive." John Feiner, the Deputy National Security Advisor at the White House, earlier on Sunday described the increased U.S. military presence in the Middle East as a defensive measure aimed at reducing tensions in the region. Feiner, in an interview with CBS News, emphasized that the U.S. has clearly stated that it will defend against any threats to Israel. Following the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the Palestinian group Hamas, and the Iranian government's threats that it would respond to this action, diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions in the region and prevent conflict are ongoing. Among them, Jordan's Foreign Minister, Ayman Safadi, on Sunday made a rare visit to Iran, calling for an end to the escalation of violence in the Middle East and stating that the region must be able to live in "peace, security, and stability." The IRGC announced early Wednesday that Ismail Haniyeh, who had traveled to Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Masoud Pezeshkian, was targeted and killed at his residence in northern Tehran. The Islamic Republic and Hamas, a group that the U.S. and Israel consider terrorist and is supported by the Iranian government, have identified Israel as responsible for Haniyeh's killing. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied this accusation. Opponents of the Islamic Republic have expressed significant dissatisfaction with the Iranian government's actions, which spend substantial resources supporting militia and terrorist groups in the region. Prince Reza Pahlavi reacted to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh on Wednesday, calling him a "super criminal" and stating that "Ismail Haniyeh should never have set foot on Iranian soil" and his presence was "an insult to our country and nation." He also described the Islamic Republic's officials' intentions for a potential attack on Israel in retaliation for Haniyeh's killing as "Khamenei's game with fire" and stated that this war is not the Iranian people's war. Israel and the U.S. are coordinating a regional and international coalition to deter potential attacks similar to the Iranian government's attack on April 14. The U.S. Department of Defense, the Pentagon, announced on Friday that it is moving a squadron of fighter jets to the Middle East and maintaining an aircraft carrier in the region to bolster U.S. military presence to help defend Israel and protect American forces.