US pulls diplomats as Israel pushes Iran hit

The intelligence was consolidated into an urgent memo delivered Thursday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The memo, signed by US National Intelligence Director Jay Clayton, recommended downgrading the classification level of the sensitive information to allow Rubio to share it with additional government personnel who may be at risk and warn them in advance.

Following the threats, the State Department earlier this week ordered all non-essential staff and diplomats' family members to leave the embassy in Riyadh and the consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran in Saudi Arabia. According to CNN, the official Saudi evacuation is accompanied by a quiet reduction of personnel at additional embassies in the region.

On Thursday, the State Department ordered staff reductions at posts in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan as well. Simultaneously, similar adjustments are being made at embassies in Bahrain and Kuwait, partly out of concern that the Houthi terror organization will expand the range of its attacks. "Due to the threat of Houthi attacks and Iranian terror plots, we must reduce our presence and keep only essential staff," an American official confirmed.

The diplomatic drawdown joins a parallel military move: NBC News reported this week that the US has quietly reduced the number of troops at several bases in the Middle East, fearing they would become sitting targets for Iranian retaliatory strikes in the event of an escalation.

While the Americans prepare defensively, Jerusalem is pushing for offense. According to CNN, Israel is pressuring the Trump administration to advance strikes against the Islamic Republic in light of its continued strengthening and renewed nuclear activity, but so far without success. Trump is signaling he would prefer to wait until after the midterm elections in America.

Nevertheless, military preparations are at their peak. The New York Times reported that the US and Israeli militaries have already formulated operational plans for a "short and intensive" operation that could be launched after the elections. The plan focuses on a concentrated three-day attack that would include devastating strikes on Iran's nuclear and energy facilities, alongside destruction of its missile and drone systems, with the aim of inflicting severe economic damage that would force Tehran back to the negotiating table.

In Iran, officials assess that a confrontation with Israel and the United States is a certainty and that Israel will strike first, according to a report by Nir Dvori and Ohad Hemo on Channel 12 News. According to the report, they are preparing for such an attack to occur in the coming days, possibly even before Tuesday's elections.

Israel's security establishment is preparing and deeply concerned about the possibility of miscalculation — about how the Iranians might interpret statements from Israel and lead to escalation. Security officials say that injecting politics into the security tensions during such sensitive days is dangerous, and great responsibility is required from all speakers.

The IDF is at peak alert ahead of the elections. Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir emphasized in a discussion this week that security stability is critical. Fighter jet training exercises over Israeli skies have increased significantly in the past two weeks, against the backdrop of the growing possibility of a military campaign against Iran.

In a speech Thursday at a rally in Florida, President Donald Trump addressed the mounting tensions and issued an ultimatum to Tehran: "We may do another little Operation Epic Fury, or the Iranians will agree to a deal. If they're smart, they'll just say 'let's get to work,' but I doubt they'll do that, because maybe they're not smart."