….School trips and youth activities are called off and public gatherings limited as dozens of warplanes are scrambled to the air
- This story is breaking, more to follow
13 April 2024
The Israeli military says it is on “full alert” amid the threat of an Iranian attack, saying dozens of planes are airborne as part of its readiness. Earlier, Iranian forces seized an Israel-linked cargo ship with 25 crew members on board, steering it towards Iran.
Analysis: Biden’s return certainly feeds into the feeling of an imminent threat
As we have been reporting, Joe Biden has cut his weekend trip to Delaware short and is expected to return to Washington this evening.
Once he arrives, he will meet his national security team.
Our US correspondent James Matthews says his decision shows how seriously the Americans are taking the information coming out of Iran about a potential attack on Israel.
“That move by the president certainly feeds into this feeling of an imminent threat. It fits together with a pattern of preparations which leads most observers to think that something is coming,” he adds.
He explains that the national security team is the forum in which big US decisions are made.
“The president, as the man who would press the button on America’s reaction to developing attacks, is a man that needs to be in the situation room,” he adds.
“He will want to be seen to be across the details and involved. Remember, this is a US president who has been criticised over the last six months for being disconnected from events in the Middle East.
“This could be a defining moment for the whole current Middle East crisis, and a defining moment for Joe Biden himself in the context of his presidency.”
