General Erik Kurilla. (Photo/US Department of Defense via Wikipedia)

Top US general visits Israel amid Iran threat fears: Pentagon

by · Arab News
  • While Israel says it has dramatically increased the number of aid trucks entering the territory, UN workers report only a slight uptick — possibly because they count trucks differently
  • Israel has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory
  • US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday Iran was threatening to launch a “significant attack in Israel,” and that the US remained committed to its ally’s security
  • “Iran should instead work to de-escalate and prevent further attacks,” said Cameron
  • The White House said it warned Iran to not use that attack as a pretext to escalate further in the region
  • Israel has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory
  • Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned Wednesday that Israel “must be punished and will be punished,” while US President Joe Biden pledged “ironclad” support for its top regional ally

WASHINGTON: The top US commander for the Middle East is in Israel for talks with the country’s military officials on security threats, the Pentagon said Thursday.

The visit comes amid fears that Iran will retaliate after an Israeli strike that killed seven members of Tehran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, including two generals, in Syria earlier this month.

General Erik Kurilla is in Israel “to meet with key IDF leadership... (and) discuss the current security threats in the region,” Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder told journalists.

Ryder said the trip was moved up from a previously scheduled date “due to recent developments.”

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned Wednesday that Israel “must be punished and will be punished,” while US President Joe Biden pledged “ironclad” support for its top regional ally.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin meanwhile spoke Thursday with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant, who told the Pentagon chief that a “direct Iranian attack will require an appropriate Israeli response against Iran.”

The two “discussed readiness for an Iranian attack against the state of Israel,” the country’s defense ministry said in a statement, adding that Gallant “emphasized that the state of Israel will not tolerate an Iranian attack on its territory.”

The Pentagon also released a statement on the call, saying Austin spoke with Gallant to “reiterate ironclad US support for Israel’s defense in the face of growing threats from Iran and its regional proxies.”

“Secretary Austin assured Minister Gallant that Israel could count on full US support to defend Israel against Iranian attacks, which Tehran has publicly threatened,” it said.