Iran expected to attack Israel: Live Updates

Israel is bracing for retaliation from Tehran following a deadly airstrike that killed two Iranian generals earlier this month

Israel is on high alert after US officials warned on Friday that Iran could launch a large-scale assault on the Jewish state. 

Iran accused Israel of carrying out an airstrike on its consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus earlier this month. The strike killed seven officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGS) Quds Force, including two high-ranking generals. Israel stuck to its usual policy of silence on extraterritorial assassinations, but is widely believed to have been behind the attack.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to deal Israel a “slap in the face” in response, and American officials warned on Friday that Tehran could be gearing up for a massive drone and missile strike on Israeli soil in the following 24 to 48 hours. 

The Iranian response appeared to begin at midday on Saturday when IRGC commandos seized an Israeli-linked container ship in the Strait of Hormuz.