According to several sources, the USS Dwight Eisenhower was sent into the Red Sea as a warning to Tehran and to protect U.S. people in case the violence escalates. 

Officials from the U.S. are concerned that hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles would be used in retaliation for an attack on a structure following the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria, on April 1st.

Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, promised revenge following the strike in Damascus, for which Tel-Aviv has not yet accepted responsibility. 

However, The Middle East is tense because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to use force in response to any Iranian attack.

Shortly after the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem locked down its employees, defense authorities said on Friday that they were bringing additional assets to the area. 

For this reason, Iran would be able to intercept drones and missiles fired by Eisenhower. 

The White House on Friday described the threat as viable, declining to declare an attack imminent. John Kirby, Spokesman for the White House National Security Council, told reporters on Friday that Iran’s potential threat is still real and viable, and the U.S. is watching it closely.

According to Kirby, the U.S. and Israel are in continuous communication about ensuring that they can defend themselves against those kinds of attacks. 

The American embassy in Jerusalem stated that federal employees were restricting movements on Thursday for U.S. government employees and their family members.

According to reports, three unidentified U.S. officials stated that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and other top defense officials should have notified the Pentagon before the attack.

The unidentified officials believe this would have helped notify the U.S. service members of the potential consequences in the area.

Professor Gerald Steinberg, an expert in conflict management and founder of Jerusalem-based NGO Monitor, said a potential war between Iran and Israel would be both futile and devastating. 

“They are on the verge of a confrontation similar to the October 1962 Cuban missile crisis between Washington and Moscow. Both countries can do massive damage to the other, but neither can win,” he said. 

According to Wyn Bowen, Professor of International Security at King’s College London’s Department of War Studies, the Iranian leadership is under significant pressure to respond robustly to the attack on the embassy.

He added that thinking about a direct conflict would be prudent, even though it was unlikely.