JERUSALEM, Israel – Iran is reportedly preparing for an attack on Israel within days. The indication is that Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has directed his country's top military leadership to implement the attack.
Reports in both The New York Times and Axios suggest Khamenei authorized the attack after reviewing the damage from last week's strike on Iranian missile production facilities.
Tehran's top general, Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami, pledged the regime will hit Israelis with what he called "an unimaginable response."
"You can't live in a sea of fire. You are small; you don't even have somewhere to escape," Salami declared.
For all of Iran's bluster, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, believes the Iranians realize how vulnerable they are and fear a full-on fight with the Israel Defense Forces.
"My sense is that at least on their side, that they realize the risks of escalation and would prefer to avoid it," he said.
Axios reports that Israeli intelligence suggests the attack could be launched by pro-Iran militias in Iraq, and not from Iran itself, possibly to avoid another Israeli strike on Iran.
WATCH: Analysis by CBN News Middle East Bureau Chief Chris Mitchell
The reports follow Israel's second attack on Iran last week. At the time, Israel destroyed much of Iran's ballistic missile production and its air defense systems. One U.S. official said the damage to Iran's air defense was so extensive, that it left Iran basically "blind."
Israel did not hit either the Islamic regime's oil facilities or its nuclear sites in that attack. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced at an IDF officers' graduation ceremony that the nuclear sites are Israel's chief concern.
The prime minister declared, "The supreme objective that I have set for the IDF and the security services is to prevent Iran from attaining nuclear weapons. Halting the nuclear program has been – and remains – our chief concern. I have not taken, we have not taken and we will not take, our eyes off this objective. Obviously, I cannot detail our plans to achieve this supreme goal."
In the meantime, Israel is hitting Hezbollah targets throughout Lebanon as IDF troops advance in southern Lebanon. The military campaign continues amid talks of a ceasefire deal and questions about whether a ceasefire could hold.
Netanyahu claims all the talk about a deal avoids the heart of the issue in the conflict.
"The main point is our ability and determination to enforce security, thwart attacks against us, and act against the arming of our enemies, as necessary and despite any pressure and constraints. This is the main point," he stated.
Thursday was one of the deadliest for Israel. Seven Israelis and foreign nationals were killed in Hezbollah attacks in northern Israel, and millions fled to bomb shelters.
The IDF also released an interview where an UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) employee described how the Hamas terror group commandeered UNRWA vehicles as a form of defense.
"Their thought process was that when they get into an UNRWA vehicle …then they are protected. Yes, they are safe because it's an agency vehicle."
Many see this as more evidence that UNRWA has been exploited and infiltrated by the terror group to the highest levels.
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