Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Sunday and told him that the Iranian military is preparing for a large-scale attack, Axios reported Sunday evening.

According to the report, Israeli intelligence officials think that Hezbollah will attack first and Iran will then join in by launching its own attack.

Sources told Axios that the Hezbollah and Iranian attacks are expected to be larger than the April 14 attack and include the firing of missiles and drones at military targets in the Tel Aviv area, including those near civilian areas.

Gallant apparently hinted at this possibility while visiting an IDF unit on Sunday, saying that Iran and Hezbollah “are threatening to harm us in a way they haven’t done in the past.”

“I hope that they will rethink and not lead to the outbreak of war on additional fronts. We don’t want this, but we must be prepared,” Gallant said.

Israeli media outlets on Sunday evening also reported that Iran is planning to launch a major attack this week. According to Channel 13 News, one of the reasons for the attack’s delay is that France pressured Iran and Hezbollah not to attack Israel during the Olympics in Paris. The Olympics ended on Sunday evening.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday ordered the deployment of the USS Georgia guided missile submarine to the Middle East, the Pentagon announced on Sunday evening in a rare public announcement about a submarine’s deployment. The nuclear-powered submarine has over 150 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAM).

Austin also ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to speed its deployment to the area from its post in the Asian Pacific.

The carrier is equipped with F-35 fighter jets and F/A-18 fighter aircraft.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)