IRAN/ISRAEL/MILITARY/SYRIA: “There are increasing concerns Iran is on the cusp of an attack against Israel, several US military officials told CNN. Intelligence is not clear on when an attack could come and what form it would take, they said, with one official noting that ‘if there is an attack it might not be immediately clear it’s Iran.’ The US is watching very closely to see if Iranian-backed actions could come from inside Syria or Lebanon, or even from inside Iran itself, though that would be considered a major military escalation. The US-led coalition fighting ISIS inside Syria said Tuesday that they have seen ‘no change’ in the behavior of Iranian backed forces inside Syria in recent days…But the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) called up a limited number of reserves Tuesday evening following what the IDF termed the ‘identification of irregular activity of Iranian forces in Syria.’ A spokeswoman for the IDF said it was a ‘specific call-up based on need.’ Another IDF spokesman said ‘non-combat’ reserves were being called up, pointing to the possibility that reserves serving in intelligence or medical roles were being mobilized. The Israeli army has instructed authorities in the Golan Heights, in the north of the country, to open civilian shelters. In a statement, the army said its troops are on high alert for an attack and defense systems have been deployed.”
-Barbara Starr, “US officials growing increasingly concerned Iran could attack Israel,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, May 8, 2018 4:34 pm