Iran and its proxies could target the United States with attacks in response to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Israeli and U.S. strikes on Saturday, according to a U.S. intelligence assessment reviewed by Reuters.
The Feb. 28 threat assessment, produced by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis, said Iran and its proxies “probably” pose a threat of targeted attacks in the United States, although a large-scale physical attack is unlikely.
The report said that in the short term the main concern is that Iran-aligned “hacktivists” would carry out low-level cyberattacks against U.S. networks, including website defacements and distributed denial-of-service attacks.
“Although a large-scale physical attack is unlikely, Iran and its proxies probably pose a persistent threat of targeted attacks in the Homeland, and will almost certainly escalate retaliatory actions — or calls to action — if reports of the Ayatollah’s death are confirmed,” the DHS report said, according to Reuters.
In response to a request for comment, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement: “I am in direct coordination with our federal intelligence and law enforcement partners as we continue to closely monitor and thwart any potential threats to the homeland.”
Iran on Sunday confirmed reports of Khamenei’s death in a strike on Saturday that was initially announced by Israel and U.S. President Donald Trump.
The DHS assessment also said Iran would probably continue attacks against U.S. and allied targets in the Middle East and would almost certainly blame senior U.S. officials for any protests sparked by Trump’s call for regime change.
The U.S. and Israeli air campaign launched Saturday expanded Monday as Israel struck Lebanon in response to attacks by Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group, while Tehran continued missile and drone attacks on Gulf states hosting U.S. military bases.
On Monday, authorities investigating a shooting at a bar in Austin, Texas, that killed at least two people said it was too early to determine whether the gunman was motivated by the war in Iran.
A photo obtained by Reuters showed the gunman, who was killed by police, wearing a shirt with an Iranian flag and the word “IRAN” spelled out in green, white and red. He was also wearing a sweatshirt that read “Property of Allah,” a U.S. law enforcement official told Reuters.