Netanyahu meets top officials as fears of Iran attack on Israel grow

Israel's prime minister is to meet top officials to prepare for a possible attack by Iran, local media say.

Tensions are high over the possibility that Tehran will retaliate for an air strike that killed senior Iranian commanders nearly two weeks ago.

US officials have told CBS News, the BBC's US partner, that a "challenging" major attack on Israel could happen imminently.

Israel has said it is ready "defensively and offensively".

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet members of his war cabinet, including Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and opposition figure Benny Gantz.

One US official CBS spoke to warned Iran could use more than 100 drones, dozens of cruise missiles and possibly ballistic missiles.

These would reportedly be aimed at military targets in Israel.

The official added that there was still a possibility Iran could decide to hold back.

"I can't speak to the size, scale, scope of what that attack might look like," US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Friday, adding that the Iranian threat was "credible" and that Washington was "watching it as closely as we can".

President Joe Biden has already promised Israel his country's "ironclad" support in the event of an Iranian attack.

The mounting tensions have led countries including the US, UK, India and Australia to warn against travelling to Israel.

The US State Department also barred diplomatic staff and their families in Israel from travelling outside of the cities of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Beersheba.