Israel Orders Military to Step Up Iran Attack Preparations as Tehran Warns of Retaliation

Israel's security cabinet has ordered the military to step up preparations for a possible new attack on Iran, raising the risk of a fresh round of war as diplomats in Doha try to keep a fragile negotiation alive. The directive, reported by Israeli public broadcaster KAN on Wednesday evening, November 11, 2026, came as the caretaker government faces a political transition and Iran's security chief warned that any new American war would make every military base involved a legitimate target. The Israel Iran attack preparations are the sharpest escalation in readiness in the ninth month of the US-Iran war, one day before the UN Security Council meets on the crisis.

Key Points

• Israel's security cabinet, chaired by caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, ordered the military to step up preparations for a possible attack on Iran, KAN reported on Wednesday evening, November 11, 2026.
• KAN said the directives "could lead it to carry out activities that could trigger a war."
• The order came after opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, tasked with forming the next government, told Netanyahu not to deploy the military "without a direct and immediate threat" until the new government is formed.
• Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei warned that if the United States launches another war, "every military base involved in the aggression, from West Asia to Europe, will be a legitimate target."
• Bahrain has requested an urgent UN Security Council meeting for Thursday, November 12. Brent crude rose 1.39 percent on Wednesday to $92.76 a barrel.

What Happened

According to KAN, the directives came from the security cabinet and were made public on Wednesday evening. The broadcaster did not say what steps the military was told to take, but said the orders could set in motion activities that might trigger a wider war. The report followed a tense exchange at the top of the Israeli government. Gadi Eisenkot, the former military chief now forming a new coalition after Netanyahu's bloc lost its majority on October 27, had warned him against using the armed forces before a new government takes office. Netanyahu insists the war on Iran will continue until the government in Tehran collapses. Military chief Eyal Zamir has ordered troops to be ready for unexpected developments. The cabinet last met on October 5, per Yedioth Ahronoth, and meets again on Sunday.

Background: Nine Months of War and a Government in Transition

The order comes in the ninth month of a war that began on February 28, 2026, when the United States opened a campaign against Iran that Israel joined, following Israeli and American strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025. Qatari mediators have shuttled between the sides, and Vice President JD Vance said on November 2 that Washington had made "progress" in talks and set no deadline for a deal. But the gaps are wide. Rezaei said this week Tehran will not allow "even a single particle" of its enriched uranium to leave the country. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told Al Jazeera the Strait of Hormuz will "never return" to its pre-war status and "the ball is now in the American court." In Israel, Netanyahu's coalition lost its majority on October 27, and President Isaac Herzog asked Eisenkot to form the next government. The new Knesset has been sworn in, but the handover is incomplete, leaving a caretaker prime minister in charge of the armed forces.

Israel Iran Attack Preparations: What the Security Cabinet Ordered

Such orders do not mean an attack is hours away, but they move a military from watching to readying. What makes this order different is who gave it and when: a caretaker prime minister, days from leaving office, telling the military to prepare for a new campaign while his successor, still forming a coalition, has warned him not to act without a direct and immediate threat. An order issued now could commit the next government to a course it did not choose, or be read in Tehran as a sign Israel intends to strike regardless of who is in charge. The cabinet meets again on Sunday.

Reactions and Quotes

Tehran's response was swift. Rezaei, writing on social media, warned that if the United States launches another war, "every military base involved in the aggression, from West Asia to Europe, will be a legitimate target." He added: "No safe distance. No safe haven. No immunity." He also warned this week that Iran's enriched uranium will not leave the country. Ghalibaf blamed Washington for the deadlock: "What stands in the way of an agreement is our lack of trust in the United States," he told Al Jazeera. President Donald Trump says he is prepared to return to war if the Qatari track fails; Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the pressure campaign is so effective that large operations are unnecessary. Brent settled up 1.39 percent at $92.76 a barrel.

Why It Matters

The order compresses the space for diplomacy when diplomacy is the only alternative to another round of strikes. The Qatari track is still alive and Vance says there is no deadline, but a military preparing for war and a government warning of retaliation leave little room for a misread signal. A caretaker government ordering war preparations days before a handover puts the incoming government and Israel's allies in a difficult position. The Strait of Hormuz carries a large share of the world's seaborne oil, and Wednesday's rise in crude showed how quickly markets price in another closure.

What Happens Next

The immediate focus is the United Nations. Bahrain has requested an urgent Security Council meeting on the Middle East, set for Thursday, November 12, at 3:10 p.m. New York time, where diplomats will press both sides to hold off. The next marker is Sunday, when Israel's security cabinet meets again: any decision to accelerate, pause or set a timetable will signal whether the order was a precaution or the start of a countdown. In Tehran, the test is whether Rezaei's warnings are followed by action, or remain words aimed at deterring a strike not yet ordered.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Israel's security cabinet order?

It ordered the military to step up preparations for a possible new attack on Iran, KAN reported on Wednesday.

Why did the order come now?

It came as Netanyahu's caretaker government nears the end of its time in office and talks with Iran stay deadlocked.

What did Iran say in response?

Rezaei warned every military base involved in a new war, "from West Asia to Europe, will be a legitimate target."

Is the United States planning to strike Iran again?

Trump says he is prepared to return to war if the Qatari track fails; Rubio says sanctions make it unnecessary.

What happens next?

The UN Security Council meets Thursday, November 12, and Israel's security cabinet meets again on Sunday.

Related Coverage

Related: Iran Enriched Uranium Will Not Leave the Country, Rezaei Vows in Warning to US Bases; Netanyahu Calls Trump Every Day to Urge New Strikes on Iran, FT Reports; and Vance Weighs Direct Talks With Iran's Rezaei as Trump Calls June Deal a Blunder.