Iran launches missile attack on US base in Qatar in retaliation for American strike on nuclear facilities

Washington: United States authorities fear retaliation on American soil from Iran, its proxies or supporters following the US’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities at the weekend.

The New York Times reported an internal FBI email, sent yesterday, in which top officials noted Iran and its proxies have “historically targeted US interests in response to geopolitical events, and they are likely to increase their efforts in the near term”.

The report did not cite any specific security threats or intelligence.

The US Department of Homeland Security also issued a public advisory bulletin saying the Iranian government had condemned the US’s direct involvement in the conflict, resulting in a heightened threat level for Americans. It noted Iran already had a long-standing commitment to target US officials it saw as responsible for the assassination of military commander Qasem Soleimani in January 2020, in a drone strike ordered by Donald Trump during his first term.

DHS said low-level cyber attacks against US networks by pro-Iranian hacktivists were likely, “and cyber actors affiliated with the Iranian government may conduct attacks against US networks”.

Furthermore: “If Iranian leadership were to issue a religious ruling calling for retaliatory violence against specific targets in the [US], it could increase the likelihood that a supporter of the Iranian regime is inspired to commit an act of violence in the [US].”

Violent extremists and other perpetrators of hate crimes could also be motivated to attack Jewish and pro-Israel targets, DHS warned, as well as other targets linked to the US government or military.