Reuters is reporting information from an Israeli official
US military ‘likely’ to move on Iran in next 24 hours — Reuters
LONDON, January 14. /TASS/. A military operation by the United States against Iran “looks likely” and could begin in the next 24 hours, Reuters quoted European officials as saying.
An Israeli official told the agency that US President Donald Trump seems to have decided to carry out the operation, but the scale and timing are still unclear.
According to Reuters, Iran warned neighboring nations that it would take retaliatory measures in the event of a US attack. “Tehran has told regional countries, from Saudi Arabia and UAE to Turkey, that U.S. bases in those countries will be attacked” if the U.S. targets Iran, the agency quoted a senior Iranian official as saying.
The U.S. started evacuating some troops from al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar and several other bases in the region ahead of a potential military conflict with Iran over the protests in the country, two sources with knowledge tell Axios.
Why it matters: President Trump is weighing the possibility of launching strikes against Iran in response to the mass killing of protesters. Iran has threatened to retaliate by attacking U.S. forces in the region.
Driving the news: Multiple high-level meetings on Iran were held on Tuesday at the White House.
Trump joined a meeting chaired by Vice President Vance after returning from Detroit on Tuesday evening and was briefed on the latest developments, a source with knowledge said.
Shortly before that meeting, Trump told reporters he wanted to get "accurate numbers" of the death toll in Iran before making a decision about a possible U.S. response.
The protests continued on Wednesday in cities across Iran. U.S. based human rights group HRANA said Wednesday it had confirmed 2,571 deaths since the protests began two weeks ago.
Israel shared an assessment with the U.S. that at least 5,000 protesters had been killed, according to a U.S. official.The other side: The commander of the Revolutionary Guard’s aerospace force told state TV his forces are at the “highest level of readiness to respond to any attack.”
Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader who was wounded in an Israeli assassination attempt during the 12-day war last June, wrote on X that Trump needs to remember the Iranian retaliation against U.S. forces at the al-Udeid base after the U.S. bombed Iran's nuclear facilities. State of play: A U.S. official confirmed that some U.S. troops started being evacuated from al-Udeid, the biggest U.S. base in the region.
Qatar's International Media Office also confirmed in a statement that the base was being evacuated and said "measures are being taken in response to regional tensions."
Reuters first reported about the evacuation of troops from the base.
A source with knowledge told Axios U.S. troops from several other bases in the Gulf are being evacuated.
The White House, Pentagon and State Department declined to comment. Behind the scenes: Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to discuss the situation in Iran and the possible U.S. response, Israeli and U.S. officials said. Another call is planned for Wednesday.
Like I said, Messianic beliefs and the Samson Option, makes Israel the wild card.