Israel is bracing for a potential major Iranian attack within days, according to multiple reports on Sunday evening, although the Israeli military has downplayed the situation by stating that civilian instructions remain unchanged for now.

This development marks a shift from the earlier assessment that Iran had abandoned plans for a large-scale response to the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31, for which Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility. Instead, Iran was initially expected to leave any response to Lebanon’s Hezbollah, whose top military commander, Fuad Shukr, was killed by Israel in an airstrike in Beirut just hours before Haniyeh’s assassination.

However, according to sources cited by the Axios news site, Israel now believes Iran is preparing to launch a direct attack on Israel before renewed cease-fire-hostage deal talks scheduled for Thursday. The report also indicated internal divisions within Iran, with President Masoud Pezeshkian reportedly preferring to avoid a harsh response, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is pushing for a larger-scale attack than the one launched in April when hundreds of drones and missiles targeted Israel.

The potential attack comes amid escalating regional tensions following the assassinations and fears that the conflict could spread. On Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin about Iran’s military preparations, suggesting that a large-scale attack was imminent. In response, the Pentagon announced the deployment of additional US military assets to the Middle East, including the USS Georgia guided missile submarine and the accelerated deployment of the Abraham Lincoln strike group.