General Erik Kurilla, commander of the US Central Command, which covers the Middle East, is visiting Israel on Thursday to help coordinate the preparations for a possible attack by Iran and its proxies, Barak Ravid reported on Axios late Wednesday night, citing two Israeli officials. Kurilla will meet Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and senior IDF officials.
The US is considering the option of coordinating a joint strike on Iran with Israel if Iran retaliates against Israel, according to Al Jazeera, citing a senior US official. Additionally, the US may assist Israel in intercepting missiles or drones if Israel faces such attacks.
Brett McGurk, National Security Council coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, asked the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, and Iraq to urge Iran to lower tensions with Israel, following an Israeli air strike on a building adjacent to Iran’s embassy in Damascus that killed a top Iranian general.
On Wednesday, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, announced that the Islamic Republic expects the Muslim countries to sever their political and economic relations with Israel.
Addressing worshipers who attended the Eid al-Fitr prayers in Tehran Grate Moslla on Wednesday morning, Khamenei said, “The Zionist regime added another mistake to its mistakes by attacking the Iranian consulate in Syria,” adding, “The Zionists made a mistake and must be punished and will be punished.”
▶️ Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says Israel made a mistake by attacking Iran’s embassy in Damascus, adding that the regime must be & will be punished for its act of aggression#EidAlFitr #Ramadan #Iran #دوري_أبطال_أوروبا #عيد_الفطر #عيد_الفطر pic.twitter.com/TzPOvq9TjP
— El_Baseer 313 (@El_Baseer313) April 10, 2024
The Iranian semi-official news agency Mehr reported overnight Thursday that Tehran’s airspace was closed for military drills, and then deleted the report and denied ever posting it. The original report was published close to midnight Israel time, about an hour after the German airline Lufthansa announced the suspension of flights to and from the Iranian capital.
According to Reuters, Lufthansa said on Wednesday it had suspended flights to Tehran “from April 6 until probably April 11” in anticipation of an Iranian retaliation for the Israeli air strike on Iran’s embassy in Damascus.
The State Dept. released the following statement following Secretary Blinken’s meeting with MOD Gallant:
“Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Secretary Blinken reiterated the United States’ support for Israel’s security and made clear that the US will stand with Israel against any threats by Iran and its proxies.
“Secretary Blinken and Minister Gallant also discussed ongoing efforts to secure the release of all hostages through an agreement for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Secretary Blinken welcomed Israel’s recent announcements of urgent steps to facilitate the entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza and to improve humanitarian deconfliction and coordination, reiterating that incidents such as the strike on World Central Kitchen workers must never reoccur.
“The Secretary emphasized that the United States expects Israel to quickly implement its commitments on humanitarian assistance and deconfliction and that those commitments must be sustained over time.”
Yes, Massa?
