White House believes Iran is preparing imminent ballistic missile attack against Israel

Iran is poised to launch a ballistic missile attack on Israel soon, the White House warned Tuesday, instantly ratcheting up fears of all-out war in the region.

In a statement released mid-morning, the White House said it had “indications that Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel,” adding the United States was “actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack.”

“A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran,” a senior White House official said in a statement.

Israel assesses that Iran is likely to attack three Israeli air bases and an intelligence base located just north of Tel Aviv, a person briefed on the matter said.

The intelligence base in Glilot was evacuated Tuesday afternoon, the person said, and the Israeli military has put contingency plans for the safety of personnel at those bases into effect.

The US warned Israel that an attack would likely come within the next 12 hours, the person said.

An Israeli source told CNN shortly after the White House’s warning that intense diplomacy is happening behind the scenes, and the current assessment is that an attack will happen shortly.

The Israeli military said it had not yet identified a specific aerial threat from Iran.

“As of this moment, Israel does not perceive imminent threat from Iran,” Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari said. During a short video message, Hagari said Israeli military planes are currently “scanning the sky” for any imminent threat from Iran.

“We are on peak alert both on the offensive and the defensive,” Hagari added, warning Iran that any attack on Israel would “have consequences.”