NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York City is on alert after the U.S. military struck three sites in Iran on Saturday.
The bombs dropping on Iran have a ripple effect all the way to New York City, where on Saturday the NYPD stepped up security. They are coordinating with Federal partners to monitor intelligence regarding any threats.
According to a 2018 report by the National Counterterrorism Center, Shia/Iran sponsored terror on the US homeland is unlikely, except if the US was top attack Iran, which has now happened.
There are at least two major concerns -- one being the lone wolf attacker.
"Then you have the other type which a term we've used is sleeper cell - people who are agents of a foreign power - here in the United States and at times maybe they're just here to collect and spy," said ABC News Contributor Rich Frankel, "They've been told if something happens - they have an action plan - they have a plan to attack somebody or some location here in the United States."
On Sunday there was a police presence at the Israeli Consulate, in front of Trump Tower and outside Temple Emanu-El.
Governor Kathy Hochul said New York State police are working to protect at-risk sites and flight cyberattacks.
In a briefing to law enforcement and government agencies, the non-profit, non-partisan think tank, Center for Internet Security said if the United States strikes Iran,
"Tehran is likely to leverage a combination of direct, proxy, and irregular/inspired forces to conduct physical, cyber, or terrorist attacks against U.S. interests both at home and abroad"
As far as who they would target, Frankel said,
"It appears to be a devastating attack on Iran but it was a military attack - attacked military targets. And Iran may respond in kind - in other words - attack military targets and not want to take the U.S. to that next level..
The decision to directly involve the U.S. in the war comes after more than a week of strikes by Israel on Iran that aimed to systematically eradicate the country's air defenses and offensive missile capabilities, while damaging its nuclear enrichment facilities. But U.S. and Israeli officials have said that American stealth bombers and the 30,000-pound (13,500-kilogram) bunker buster bomb they alone can carry offered the best chance of destroying heavily fortified sites connected to the Iranian nuclear program buried deep underground.
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