According to the Pentagon, Austin spoke on Sunday evening (local time) with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Galant by phone about American troop deployments as a security measure – to increase the protection of US forces, strengthen Israel’s defense capabilities and for the purpose of deterrence and to defuse tensions in the region, it was said. Austin also advocated a ceasefire in the Gaza war and an agreement to release the hostages remaining in the Gaza Strip, his ministry said.
Meanwhile, Iran is sticking to its threats against Israel. Although it is not seeking to escalate tensions in the Middle East, says a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Tehran, it is necessary to punish Israel. Iran blames Israel for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week and has threatened retaliation. Israel has not commented on Haniyeh’s death.
US President Joe Biden will convene his national security team at the White House on Monday (local time) for a briefing on the latest developments in the Middle East. Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris is also expected to attend. Biden also wants to speak with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, the presidential office said. Jordan is considered an important US ally in the region and plays a central role in mediation efforts in the Middle East conflict.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi traveled to Tehran for his first visit in decades. There he spoke with his counterpart Ali Bagheri on Sunday and met with President Masoud Pezeshkian, local media reported. Jordan’s King Abdullah warned of “even more chaos” in the Middle East. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed the need to reduce regional tensions in a telephone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani.
During Iran’s attack on Israel in April, Jordan supported Israel in intercepting Iranian missiles. Almost five months ago, Iran attacked Israel directly from its territory for the first time with more than 300 missiles and drones. During Iran’s attack on Israel in April, Jordan supported Israel in intercepting Iranian missiles. Almost five months ago, Iran attacked Israel directly from its territory for the first time with more than 300 missiles and drones. At the time, Iran portrayed the attack on Israel as an appropriate response to the killing of two Iranian generals in an airstrike on Tehran’s embassy in Syria in early April.
In view of Iran’s recent threats to attack Israel, it remains unclear when and how the threatened retaliatory strike might take place. Statements by the Iranian leadership and its allied Lebanese Hezbollah militia repeatedly referred to the “next few days”.
The news portal Axios reported, citing the assessments of three American and Israeli government officials, that Iran could attack as early as Monday. US Secretary of State Blinken also told his colleagues this in a conference call with the chief diplomats of the seven major western industrial nations (G7). According to the report, he mentioned a time frame of 24 to 48 hours during the discussions on Sunday.
The foreign ministers of the G7 countries discussed the situation in the Middle East via video conference on Sunday. “Together with our partners, we have expressed our great concern about recent events,” said Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. The foreign ministers reiterated “the priority of a positive conclusion to the negotiations on the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of the hostages” and announced an increase in humanitarian aid.
Meanwhile, air raid sirens sounded again in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel on Monday night. The Israeli army had previously stated that it had “identified numerous suspicious air targets from Lebanon.”
Iran denies Israel’s right to exist and supports both Hamas in the Gaza Strip and allied Islamist militias such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. Islamist militias supported by Iran are also active in Iraq and Syria.
Since the unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 and the resulting war in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah has also been attacking northern Israel almost daily. After the targeted killing of the highest-ranking Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr by the Israeli army in Beirut and the deadly attack on Hamas leader Haniyeh in Tehran, which was attributed to Israel, and the subsequent threats of retaliation, a regional conflagration is feared.
