US Agrees to Israel's Plan for Rafah in Return for Iran Strike: Report

“The American administration showed acceptance of the plan previously presented by the occupation government regarding the military operation in Rafah, in exchange for not carrying out a large-scale attack against Iran,” an unnamed official tells Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

The Egyptian officials told the outlet that preparations are underway so that Egypt can deal with any possible impact of the planned operation.

Four Hamas battalions are believed to be stationed in Rafah along with over a million civilians sheltering there after fleeing fighting in other parts of the Strip. Rafah is also thought to be where Hamas leaders are hidden, possibly along with Israeli hostages, according to a Times of Israel report.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has several times claimed to have approved plans for a Rafah operation and more recently said that a date has been decided for the launch.

Israel said it was unlikely to strike Iran before the end of Passover

According to another report by the Israeli outlet, Israel appears unlikely to carry out a strike on Iran before the end of Passover, a US official tells ABC News while acknowledging the timing could change.

The Jewish holiday Pesach or (Passover) begins before sundown on Monday, April 22, 2024, and ends after nightfall on April 30, 2024.

The network also quotes Israeli sources saying Israel twice readied for and then dropped plans to strike Iran this past week, in response to the Islamic Republic’s missile and drone attack early Sunday.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a retaliatory strike on multiple locations in Israel early morning on April 14, in response to an Israeli terrorist attack.