An Israeli security source with close ties to the military told Belaaz on Wednesday that a joint United States–Israel strike against Iran is likely imminent, possibly within the next 24 hours, as extraordinary military preparations are underway across Israel.

The source, who has extensive, active connections to senior Israeli military figures, told Belaaz that Israel has been placed on its highest military alert status, a posture that CNN also reported this week, citing U.S. officials describing Israel as being in the “best 24 hours” of readiness.

“We’re talking from tomorrow night,” the source said in Hebrew. “Not a week and a half; tomorrow night.”

According to the source, Israeli military preparations have been extensive and costly. Army bases across Israel’s southern region have been evacuated – a major logistical undertaking that the source acknowledged was “very expensive” but deemed necessary because, in his assessment, “the south is going to be Iran’s target zone.”

Air defense systems have been redeployed across the country, and mobile safe houses have been positioned at bases, including in northern Israel. The source also said Israeli defense systems have been moved to new locations not previously used.

When asked specifically about Dimona – Israel’s highly sensitive and officially undeclared nuclear research facility in the Negev Desert – the source said the site cannot be fully evacuated, but that whatever assets and materials could be moved have been taken underground.

“Dimona can’t be touched at all. We’ve moved underground what needs to be moved. But the building still exists.”

The source also reported that 15 missile defense batteries had been deployed at a northern Israeli base.

When asked whether Israel or the United States would initiate military action, the source said he believed both would strike together. “I think it’s going to be together, or coordinated together,” he said.

The source interpreted recent diplomatic negotiations between the United States and Iran as a delay tactic rather than a genuine attempt at resolution, saying the talks were used to “buy time” and allow for greater military preparation.

Saudi Arabia’s public statements – in which Riyadh has warned the United States not to use their territory for military operations – were dismissed by the source as performative. “That’s just a joke,” he said. “It’s so they don’t get attacked themselves.” He noted that imagery circulating on social media appeared to show the largest U.S. military base in the region now positioned inside Saudi Arabia.

The source said he believes Hezbollah will enter the conflict despite having been significantly weakened following the killing of its longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah and subsequent Israeli operations against its infrastructure. “They still have missiles that could reach Tel Aviv and definitely the north,” he said, adding that Hezbollah retains capacity across multiple areas of Lebanon.

“Once they deflated their balloon – and that balloon was Nasrallah – the story is over. But they still have power.”

In a notably analytical passage, the source offered an interpretation of Iran’s strategic behavior rooted in Shia Islamic eschatology – specifically the doctrine of the “Hidden Imam,” or Mahdi, a messianic figure in Twelver Shia theology believed to have entered a state of occultation over a thousand years ago, who will return in a time of global upheaval.

“Everything the Iranians do as Shia is to cause the Hidden Imam – their Messiah – to be revealed. How will he be revealed? By them provoking great wars in the world. So everything they are doing now is to stir up major wars. That is their belief. They have to do it for him to appear.”

This analysis aligns with longstanding assessments by Western and Israeli intelligence analysts who have noted the influence of Mahdist theology on elements of the Iranian leadership, particularly within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The source argued that this doctrinal framework explains what he described as Iran’s seemingly irrational willingness to escalate; the goal is not victory in a conventional military sense, but the triggering of global chaos that, in their belief, will precipitate the Mahdi’s return.

He added that Iran’s negotiating posture must be understood within this framework: “They know how to negotiate. Israel and America know they’re full of bluff, but their whole goal is to create chaos and war in the world.”

In a remark that underscores the gravity of the anticipated events, the source predicted that Israeli parliamentary elections would not take place on schedule. “There won’t be elections in the next two years,” he said, suggesting the conflict would fundamentally reshape Israel’s political landscape.

The source also referenced March 15th as a potentially significant date, though it was unclear from context whether this referred to a specific operational deadline or a broader assessment of the window for military action.

In response to major US military deployment in the Middle East, Iran partially closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil transfer channel.