US may intervene to help Israel defend itself from Iranian attack, officials say

Briefing said US may also join any counteroffensive, raising possibility of confrontation between Iran and US

Iranian demonstrators burn a representation of the Israeli flag as one of them waves Iranian and Palestinian flags during an annual rally to mark Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, in support of Palestinians, in Tehran, Iran. Picture: AP Photo/Vahid Salemi

The US may intervene to help Israel defend itself from an Iranian missile attack, its officials said on Thursday, raising the possibility of a direct confrontation not only between Iran and Israel, but also between Iran and the US.

US officials briefed the Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera that the US believes an Iranian attack in reprisal for the Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on 1 April is imminent, and will be conducted by Iran itself rather than proxy forces. The Israeli attack killed seven senior military officials, including two generals from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards.