The newspaper reported that “Trump is inclined to renew the intense fighting,” but has not yet decided whether to proceed. US officials familiar with the planning said American warships in the Middle East are preparing for an escalation if Trump chooses to launch a new round of attacks against Iran in the coming weeks.
US intelligence also indicates that Iranian preparations to attack Americans across the Middle East have reached “advanced stages,” officials said. Jay Clayton, the director of national intelligence, summarized that assessment in a brief memo Friday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
CNN reported that Washington is accelerating the evacuation of some diplomatic personnel and their families from missions across the Middle East over concerns about a regional escalation.
An official evacuation order covers non-essential staff and their families in Saudi Arabia, while the United States is quietly reducing personnel at embassies in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon, according to CNN. The measures come amid increasing Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and the possibility that Trump will resume strikes on Iran after the midterm elections.
CNN also reported that Israel is pressing Washington to take military action sooner but has so far been unsuccessful.
Separately, the Saudi newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, published in London in Arabic, reported that Hezbollah informed Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri that it would not intervene on Iran’s behalf in the event of war. Berri subsequently conveyed that position to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
During his recent visit to Beirut, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh told parliament members affiliated with Hezbollah and the Amal Movement that Iran would not ask Hezbollah to intervene in the event of an American attack, according to the report.
The Iranian Embassy in Lebanon denied “reports circulated in the media” concerning Khatibzadeh’s recent visit and the content of his meetings but did not specify which reports it was disputing.
