WASHINGTON: The United States has to be prepared for ‘significant’ attacks on Israel, which possibly can take place this week, said White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby on Monday (local time) amid the ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
This comes after President Joe Biden held talks with the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy as the US aims to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East.
“We share the same concerns and expectations that our Israeli counterparts have with respect to potential timing here. Could be this week”, Kirby told reporters, according to The Times of Israel. “We have to be prepared for what could be a significant set of attacks”, he said.
The call, according to Kirby, was “largely for all the leaders to repeat what they have said before in terms of reaffirming Israel’s defence” as well as “send a strong message that we don’t want to see any rise in violence, any attacks by Iran or its proxies”.
In a joint statement on Monday, US President Biden, along with the leaders of UK, France, Germany and Italy called on Iran to stand down its ongoing threats of a military attack against Israel. The joint statement, according to the White House, read, “We called on Iran to stand down its ongoing threats of a military attack against Israel and discussed the serious consequences for regional security should such an attack take place”.
It also underscored the importance of the ardent need for the delivery and distribution of aid. “We expressed our full support for ongoing efforts to de-escalate tensions and reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza. We endorsed the joint call from President Biden, President Sisi of Egypt, and Amir Tamim of Qatar to renew talks later this week with an aim to concluding the deal as soon as possible, and stressed there is no further time to lose”, the joint statement read.
“All parties must live up to their responsibilities. In addition, unfettered delivery and distribution of aid is needed. We expressed our support for the defence of Israel against Iranian aggression and against attacks by Iran-backed terrorist groups”, it added.
After the Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran last month, which resulted in promises of “punishment” from Iran, Israel is preparing for a strong retaliation. However, Israel has not denied or confirmed that it was responsible for Haniyeh’s death, but it had previously threatened to execute him and other senior Hamas figures for their involvement in the terrorist attacks on October 7.
Tensions in West Asia have escalated after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on July 31 that Ismail Haniyeh had been killed in an attack in Iran’s capital, Tehran. In a statement, the IRGC said that Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed when their house was hit in Tehran. A projectile hit a residence allocated to war veterans in Tehran at 2 am (local time) on Wednesday, according to a Press TV report.
The IDF had also announced that top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr was killed in the Israeli strike in southern Lebanon on July 30, which came in retaliation to the rocket attack at Golan Heights that killed 12 children.
Fuad Shukr, the “most senior Hezbollah military commander,” was killed in the Israeli strike, the IDF had said in a statement. Shukr sat on the Jihad Council, Hezbollah’s top military body, and was considered to be the head of its strategic division.
Since the October 7 attack by Hamas, he has been managing Hezbollah’s attacks against Israel, including the deadly strike in Majdal Shams over the weekend that killed 12 children, according to the military. (ANI)