Asked whether there has been any change about the perceived threat level in the Middle East, Ryder replied, “Iran has indicated that it intends to retaliate, so we will continue to take that threat seriously, and I'll just leave it there.”
He was also asked if the Pentagon has seen any changes that would have changed in the past 10 days or so, and replied, “I think that we need to continue to take that threat seriously and be prepared. Again. I'm not going to speculate or get into potential or hypotheticals, rather, in terms of when and if they may attack other than the fact that they've said publicly that they intend to retaliate.”
“And so we will continue to take that seriously,” added Ryder.
Iran has threatened to attack Israel over the elimination of Hamas political bureau leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, which Israel has not commented on.
Ryder previously told reporters that an attack by Iran on Israel is "certainly possible", adding that the threat needs to be taken seriously so more resources are being maneuvered to the region.
Those comments came after three senior Iranian officials told Reuters that Iran could delay or cancel its planned attack against Israel if ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas are successful.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby last week warned in an interview with Israeli media that the danger of an Iranian attack on Israel remains even after Israel foiled a massive attack by Hezbollah.
“We believe that they are still postured and poised to launch an attack should they want to do that, which is why we have that enhanced force posture in the region,” Kirby told Channel 12 News.
He added, “Our messaging to Iran is consistent, has been and will stay consistent. One, don’t do it. There’s no reason to escalate this. There’s no reason to potentially start some sort of all out regional war. And number two, we are going to be prepared to defend Israel if it comes to that.”
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Charles Brown, told Reuters last week that the near-term risk of a broader war in the Middle East has eased somewhat after Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire without further escalation, but Iran still poses a significant danger as it weighs a strike on Israel. Israel National News - Arutz Sheva
