Published 08:30 IST, January 5th 2020
US Secretary of State Pompeo says US has Israel's and Bahrain's support against Iran
US Sec. of State Pompeo has said that he has spoken to Israeli PM Netanyahu & Bahraini Crown Prince al-Khalifa and garnered their support against Iran
The Secretary of US State Department, Mike Pompeo took to Twitter after his conversation with the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Bahraini Crown Prince al-Khalifa where he garnered their support against "Iran’s malign influence and threats" in the Middle East. This comes after the Green Zone and Al-Balad airbase in Iraq was attacked on Saturday night. The USA has alleged that Iran has been behind these attacks on Iraq post their general Qasem Solemani was slain.
Mike Pompeo thanks Bahrain and Israel
Secretary of US State, Pompeo, in his Tweet, thanked the Bahrain Crown Prince for his partnership in protecting the American personnel deployed to Bahrain. He added that both countries agreed to counter Iran's threats in the region.
Pompeo also took to Twitter to hail Israeli PM and said that the US was grateful for Israel's steadfast support against terrorism. He added that the bond between the USA and Isreal is unbreakable.
Attacks on the green zone in Iraq
The US embassy in Baghdad was attacked, on Saturday as two mortars hit Baghdad's Green Zone and simultaneously two rockets hit Iraq's Al-Balad airbase, where US troops were stationed. This comes after the USA deployed its troops across Iraq following the drone strike that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani on Friday. As per media reports, the Administration officials privately warned the members of Congress that Iran is expected to retaliate against the US either at home or abroad, “within weeks”.
Major Gaurav Arya on Israel's involvement
Talking about how Israel could be involved in the proxy wars between USA and Israel, (Retd.) Major Gaurav Arya said, "This retaliation will keep on taking place through proxies. I do not envision a scenario where US and Iran go head to head, in a case on conventional war."
Explaining his reasoning, Major Gaurav Arya, "This is because Iran will avoid war, irrespective of the rhetoric coming out of Tehran, this is because the Ayatollah regime does not want to seem weak in front of its people. Also, I feel this situation might end up targeting Israel as well.”
Updated 08:30 IST, January 5th 2020