Iranian attack expected on Israel in next 48 hours: WSJ

Israel is preparing for a direct attack from Iran in the next 24 to 48 hours, reported the Wall Street Journal quoting a US intelligence source.

The country is now readying itself for a possible strike on either southern or northern Israel, the source, who was not named, said, as the US embassy placed travel restrictions on all government employees based in the country.

Iran is allegedly planning a larger-than-usual aerial attack featuring a mix of missiles and drone strikes.

A separate official told Polico that Iran intends to limit its strike to avoid provoking a US response.

Iran is "looking to calibrate it, so they essentially don't overplay their hand", the official said.

Quoting Iranian sources, Reuters earlier reported Iran had signalled to Washington that it would "respond to Israel's attack on its Syrian embassy in a way that aims to avoid major escalation" and it would not act hastily.

Israel's military said Thursday it is prepared to defend the country and strike back if Iran retaliates for a deadly airstrike on the Iranian Consulate in Syria.

Tehran holds Israel responsible for the attack earlier this month, which the US military believes Israel carried out.

Israel has not commented on it.

The increased tensions have sparked international concern that Israel's devastating war against Hamas in Gaza could spill over into the rest of the Middle East.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that Israel "must be punished and it shall be", saying it was tantamount to an attack on Iranian soil. Israel has not confirmed it was responsible, but the Pentagon has said it was.