US Air Force General Alexus Grinkevich believes that the Iranian side is not yet interested in a war with Israel, the United States or anyone else. Although the situation may change after the start of the operation of Israeli forces in Rafah.
In response to the April 2 attack on a residence near the Iranian embassy in Syria, the CIA warned Israel of a possible attack by Iranian forces within 48 hours. In turn, the commander of the US Central Air Force, General Alexus Grinkevich, is convinced that despite the fact that Tehran continues to support its supporters in the Middle East, it does not seek a larger war. About it reports Breaking Defense.
“I continue to believe that the Iranians are not interested in a broader regional conflict. They want to take advantage of the crisis that exists, but they are not interested in a war with Israel, with the United States or with anyone else at the moment,” he said.
However, the general noted that the recent incident and future events force the military to be on alert, as Iran has vowed to retaliate and accused the United States of complicity. At the same time, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said that the United States “did not participate at all” in the attack on the residence, which allegedly killed seven IRGC officers, and did not know about specific Israeli military operations.
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However, in the future, Grinkevich added, an event may occur that will lead to a further escalation of tensions in the Middle East – this is the promised Israeli invasion of the Palestinian enclave of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, where, according to Jerusalem, the last stronghold of Hamas remains, which must be destroyed.
The Air Force general stressed in this regard that he has no idea about the details of Israel’s plans regarding Rafah, and that Washington “is not conducting any specific consultations on the ground and is not helping the Israeli military with targeting or anything like that.”
But if Iran’s retaliation were to target U.S. interests in the region—either directly or, more likely, through its proxies—it would, according to Grinkevich, disrupt the fragile structure in which U.S. assets have not been attacked by Iranian proxies since the deaths of the three American soldiers in a drone strike in Jordan in late January.
Previously Focus translated an article by James F. Jeffrey that said the US Army should not withdraw troops from Syria despite recent casualties from the strikes. The US military should recognize that its real purpose in the region is to contain Iran.
