Consequently, the US has continued to deploy fighter jets to the Middle East. While the exact nature of Iran and Hezbollah's response to the recent killings remains unclear, American officials are confident that it is imminent. Initial assessments suggested an attack at the beginning of the week, but recent intelligence indicates that the response might be delayed until Thursday or Friday at the latest, according to American officials speaking to Al Arabiya.
Furthermore, the US believes that Iran will wait until after today's (Wednesday) meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Iran initiated the meeting following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. The OIC stated that the meeting would address the "ongoing atrocities committed by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people, especially in the Gaza Strip."
American diplomatic officials are working to determine the form of Iran's response and whether it will involve a coordinated attack with Hezbollah or other groups in Iraq or Yemen. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has indicated that both Iran and Hezbollah will respond but left open the possibility of a large-scale coordinated attack involving multiple fronts. The potential for hundreds of missiles, rockets, and drones over Israeli skies became apparent in April when Iran responded to an Israeli attack on Iranian diplomatic facilities in Syria, which resulted in the deaths of senior Iranian military officials.
Additionally, the US believes Hezbollah possesses a vast arsenal of precision-guided missiles that it has not yet deployed since October, along with surface-to-air missiles and other types of missiles and drones.
Israel is primarily protected by weapons supplied by the United States, including Iron Dome missile defence batteries, other air defence systems, precision-guided munitions, and Hellfire missiles attached to drones.
In line with this, it was reported today that the US continues to move fighter jets to the Middle East. The US military has begun deploying additional forces to the region as part of preparations for the anticipated Iranian response. According to reports, the Americans have deployed 12 F/A-18 fighter jets to address the expected missile threat and to protect American forces in the area.