Sure, here's a rephrased version:
Israel and the United States believe that Iran is preparing to retaliate for the Israeli strike on an Iranian consulate in Syria, according to U.S. officials.
On Monday, Israel attacked an Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, killing several senior leaders of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as reported by the Pentagon.
The U.S. has received intelligence indicating that Iran is planning a retaliatory strike involving a swarm of Shahed loitering drones and cruise missiles.
The timing and target of the attack are unknown, but officials suggest that a proportional response to the Damascus attack would be to target an Israeli diplomatic facility.
The attack is expected to occur between now and the end of Ramadan next week.
Another important factor is the launch location of the drones and missiles – whether from Iraq or Syria, which could provide Tehran with a thin claim of deniability, or directly from Iranian territory.
A public funeral was held in Tehran on Friday for the seven IRGC members killed in the suspected Israeli strike in Damascus, including two generals, CBS News' Seyed Bathaei reported. During the funeral, the IRGC's overall commander, Gen.
Hossein Salami, warned that Israel "cannot escape the consequences" of assassinating Iranian military officers.
However, he did not provide any further indication of how or when Iran might retaliate, Bathaei said.
To prevent Iranian retaliation on U.S.-connected facilities, officials in the Biden administration have emphasized that the U.S. had no prior knowledge of the strike.
National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby stated that during his Thursday phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Biden discussed Iranian threats to Israel.
Kirby told reporters on Friday, "There was discussion between the two leaders about the very real and quite public threat Iran is making to Israel's security in the last day or so, and the president made it very clear — very clear — to Prime Minister Netanyahu that he can count on U.S. support to help them in their self-defense against threats directly and publicly posed by Iran."
With Israel already publicly warning of retaliation, an Iranian attack on an Israeli facility could escalate towards a regional war.
Earlier on Friday, Iranian presidential adviser Mohammad Jamshidi posted a message on X stating that Iran's message to American leaders was "not to get dragged into Netanyahu's trap for the U.S.: Stay away so you won't get hurt." Jamshidi claimed that the U.S. then "asked Iran not to target American facilities."
CBS News confirmed that the U.S. received a written message from Iran.
A State Department spokesperson informed CBS that the U.S. responded by sending a written warning to Iran not to use the Israeli strike as a "pretext to attack U.S. personnel and facilities."
It is uncommon for the U.S. to comment on the context of diplomatic messages or discussions, but Iran had publicly disclosed it.
The Swiss government acted as an intermediary for the written message since the U.S. and Iran lack direct diplomatic ties.
The U.S. currently has approximately 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 troops in Iraq, along with other support bases in Jordan. Iraqi Prime Minister Shia al-Sudani is scheduled to visit the White House on April 15 to discuss the U.S. military presence.