Israeli minister tells US that large-scale Iranian attack expected, Axios reports

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed operational and strategic coordination against Iranian threats. (File/Reuters)
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Updated 12 August 2024
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Israeli minister tells US that large-scale Iranian attack expected, Axios reports

  • Gallant and Austin discussed the Israeli military’s readiness in the face of Iranian threats
  • Austin has meanwhile ordered the deployment of a guided missile submarine to the Middle East

WASHINGTON: Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday that Iran was making preparations for a large-scale military attack on Israel, Axios reporter Barak Ravid said in a post on X, citing a source with knowledge of the call.

In a statement on Monday, Gallant’s ministry confirmed the call took place overnight. It said Gallant and Austin discussed operational and strategic coordination and the Israeli military’s readiness in the face of Iranian threats.
Austin has meanwhile ordered the deployment of a guided missile submarine to the Middle East. The US military had already said it would deploy additional fighter jets and Navy warships to the region to bolster Israeli defenses.
On Friday, an Iranian Revolutionary Guards deputy commander was quoted as saying by local news agencies that Iran was set to carry out an order by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to “harshly punish” Israel over the assassination on July 31 of the leader of Palestinian militant group Hamas in Tehran.


Jordan condemns US ambassador remarks on accepting Israel’s West Bank annexation

Updated 21 February 2026
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Jordan condemns US ambassador remarks on accepting Israel’s West Bank annexation

  • The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it rejects the ambassador’s “absurd and provocative statements”

CAIRO: Jordan condemned Saturday earlier remarks by US envoy to Israel Mike Huckabee, who said it would be acceptable if Israel took control of the entire Middle East, including the West Bank.
Huckabee has suggested that he would not object if Israel were to take most of the Middle East. 
The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it rejects the ambassador’s “absurd and provocative statements,” in a statement published on Petra News Agency. 
Ministry spokesman Fouad Majali said the remarks “constitute a violation of diplomatic norms, an infringement on the sovereignty of the region's countries, a blatant breach of international law and the UN Charter.”
Majali also said they contradict diplomatic efforts by the United States and the declared position of US President Donald Trump in rejecting the annexation of the occupied West Bank. 
The spokesperson reaffirmed that the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip are occupied Palestinian territories under international law, and that ending Israel’s occupation is a must for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on all of the occupied Palestinian territory, based on the two-state solution.