SALT LAKE CITY — Iran has threatened revenge on Israel, after an air strike on an embassy complex in Damascus, the capital city of Syria.
That air strike killed seven people including three military generals.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced he is convening a war cabinet to discuss Israel's readiness for an Iranian response, according to CNN.
The Pentagon announced it is moving more United States military assets into the Middle East.
"We are devoted to the defense of Israel, we will support Israel, we will defend, help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed," said President Joe Biden, when asked about the ongoing tensions between the two Middle East nations.
Amos Guiora is a professor at the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah. He is also a retired Lieutenant Colonel with the Israel Defense Forces.
FOX 13 News asked Guiora on Friday about Israel's attack on the Iranian embassy.
"I think that the attack on Iran, while arguably sending quote unquote, you know, the proverbial message whether to Iran directly and Hezbollah indirectly struck me as an unnecessary overstep," said Guiora.
Guiora is heading to Israel on Friday and isn't taking much stock in Iran's threat to retaliate against Israel.
"I think the Iranian regime is, is a, is actually a highly rational regime that is not interested in war with Israel," said Guiora. "I don't think anybody's interested in a broader Middle East conflict than what we have right now."
However, others in the Jewish community think differently.
"The feeling is that Iran will do something, they've been waiting to do something," said Ron Zamir, Vice President of Community Relations for the United Jewish Federation of Utah.
Zamir says he is also heading to Israel next week.
"At the end of the day, this is about Iran trying to exert its influence in the Middle East Hezbollah Hamas, they wouldn't have launched their war without Iran munitions," said Zamir.
Zamir told FOX 13 News on Friday that he thinks both the Israeli and U.S. governments have made it clear that they would act in concert to counter any escalation by Iran.
"The Iranians have a history of, of making all kinds of threats that directed at Israel, but I've never done anything other than through proxies," said Guiora.
This comes as Israel's war with Hamas reached the six-month mark, earlier this week.
