Defcon issues special warning as tensions surge following US airstrike on Iran's Soleimani
DONALD TRUMP’s assassination of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani will cause “proxy attacks” to continue, the Defcon Warning System has said.
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Experts at the intelligence organisation predicted Friday’s attack on the architect of Iran’s Middle East operations would bring untold consequences depending on the nature and severity of such attacks. The group issued a special alert after a US drone strike ordered by President Trump took out General Soleimani as he arrived at a Baghdad airport, prompting fears of an escalation in the mounting tensions between Washington and Tehran. Defcon issued a special alert and warned Iranian military action could not be ruled out.
In a statement Defcon said: “We are continuing to monitor the situation, but our current analysis does not foresee major military action over this incident.
“More likely, proxy attacks will continue over the course of time.
“The nature of these attacks will determine how the situation will flow.
“At the moment, we are waiting for a concrete response or lack of response from Iran. In the meantime, satellite photos have shown that Iran is building tunnels in Syria to store missiles, which are thought will be used in a future conflict with Israel.”
Security experts have said the “severe revenge” promised by Iran could come in the form of cyber attacks.
The assassination of Gen Soleimani, 62, who led the powerful Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, came after Iranian-backed protesters stormed the US embassy in Baghdad on New Year’s Eve.
Defcon has not raised the threat of a nuclear war, keeping it at level five which is the lowest state.
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They said: “There are currently no imminent nuclear threats at this time.”
Analysts have warned the death of Soleimani could bring about an Iranian attack on Israel in response.
Gen Soleimani has played a central role in Hezbollah’s war with Israel in 2006 which saw rockets rain down on the Jewish state.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has braced himself for a possible attack.
Welcoming the air strike, he said Mr Trump “deserves all the credit for acting swiftly, forcefully and decisively”.
He said Gen Soleimani “is responsible for the death of American citizens and many other innocent people. He was planning more such attacks”.
Meanwhile hundreds of Palestinians in the Gaza strip on Saturday took to the streets to publicly mourn the death of the top military commander.
Leader of the ruling Islamist group Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad faction, both backed by Tehran, joined mourners at a shrine in honour of Gen Soleimani.
American and Israeli flags were laid on the ground for guests to tread on as they entered a specially erected tent with murals of Gen Soleimani. The flags were later burned.
“We are loyal to those who stood with the resistance and with Palestine and we hold the US administration and the Zionist occupation fully responsible for the consequences of this deplorable crime,” said Ismail Radwan, a Hamas official.
Meanwhile tens of thousands of people have taken part in a march to remember Gen Soleimani in Baghdad.