Faced with an Iranian retaliatory attack on Israel, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has called on his counterparts in China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia to stop Iran from escalating.
Ministry spokesman Matthew Miller said in Washington yesterday that the number of calls had been made in the past 24 hours. Similar discussions will be held with European allies and partners. Miller clarified: “Aggrandizement is not in Iran's interest. It is not in the interest of the region. And it's not in the best interest of the world.
Many threats from Iranian leaders
Threats of retaliation from Tehran have escalated following a suspected Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy compound in the Syrian capital Damascus, which killed two Iranian Revolutionary Guard generals.
Iranian President Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said yesterday that this attack is like an attack on Iranian territory and Israel should be punished. Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi and Khamenei's top adviser have made such threats before. Israel increased military readiness in response to Iranian threats
The highest-ranking American general in Israel
In the wake of Iranian threats, a high-ranking US general also visited Israel for security talks. U.S. Department of Defense spokesman Pat Ryder said Eric Kukila, commander of U.S. Regional Command Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for the Middle East, was on site to meet with Israeli military leadership.
Additionally, “current security threats in the region” should be discussed. The trip, originally scheduled for a different date, was brought forward “due to recent developments”.
As the Pentagon also announced, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Jove Gallant. “Israel must retaliate appropriately against Iran for any direct Iranian attack,” Gallant told the Pentagon chief.
