US government alarmed

Iranian Revolutionary Guards are in shelters

Israel's military is said to have prepared for retaliatory attacks against Iran at least twice this week. However, these were called off again, reported the US broadcaster ABC. The Revolutionary Guards in Iran are said to already be on high alert.

Some are in safe places or in underground shelters, reported an unnamed senior US government official. However, he and the White House do not expect a possible Israeli counterattack on Iran before the end of the month. This is "unlikely" before then, although the situation could always change.

Internationally, there is currently great concern that the conflict in the Middle East could spread further in the event of a harsh Israeli counter-attack. On Wednesday, Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi once again warned of a "devastating" response from his country should Israel carry out even the slightest "aggression" against Iran.

Iran: Have not used modern weapons
As reported , the Iranian armed forces and their allies fired more than 500 rockets, cruise missiles and drones against Israel over the weekend, most of which were intercepted. This was triggered by a suspected Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus. Two generals from the Revolutionary Guards were killed in the attack.

Iran's armed forces attacked Israel last weekend with more than 300 drones, rockets and cruise missiles.(Bild: AP)

"We used old weapons of minimal power against the Zionist enemy," said their commander on Thursday. A year ago, for example, the Revolutionary Guards presented a fourth version of a medium-range missile of the "Khorramshahr" type, which can be equipped with a 1.5-ton warhead. Another non-deployed "Sedshil" missile is said to be able to reach Israel in around seven minutes. New types of weapons are constantly being presented in Iran, but the developments cannot be independently verified.

Consequences of cyber attacks?
According to ABC, the Israeli war cabinet can still respond with cyber attacks or attacks on Iran's allies in the region, for example. The US and EU governments in particular have called for Iran to refrain from attacking each other (see video above).