WASHINGTON: The US has prepared for what could be significant attacks by Iran or its proxies in the Middle East as soon as this week, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Monday.
Kirby said the US had increased its regional force posture and shared Israel’s concerns about a possible Iranian-backed attack after Iran and Hamas accused Israel of carrying out the assassination of a Hamas leader in Tehran last month.
“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.
“We have to be prepared for what could be a significant set of attacks,” he said.
Israel has been braced for a major attack since last month when a missile killed 12 youngsters in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Israel responded by killing a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut.
A day after that operation, Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was assassinated in Tehran, drawing Iranian vows of retaliation against Israel.
“We obviously don’t want to see Israel have to defend itself against another onslaught, like they did in April. But, if that’s what comes at them, we will continue to help them defend themselves,” Kirby said.
The Pentagon said on Sunday that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had ordered the deployment of a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and for the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group to accelerate its deployment to the region.
But a US official told Reuters the Lincoln carrier strike group was currently close to the South China Sea and would likely take over a week to reach the Middle East.
Oil prices jumped by more than 3 percent on Monday, rising for a fifth consecutive session on expectations of a widening Middle Eastern conflict that could tighten global crude supplies.
Israeli forces pressed on with operations near the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis on Monday amid an international push for a deal to halt fighting in Gaza and prevent a slide into a wider regional conflict with Iran and its proxies.
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US prepared for possible significant attacks in Middle East by Iran, White House says
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US prepared for possible significant attacks in Middle East by Iran, White House says
- Israel has been bracing for an attack since it killed senior Hezbollah commander last month in Beirut
- Oil prices jumped by more than 3 percent on Monday as fears of wider, regional war escalate
Turkiye’s Erdogan visits El-Sisi to ink partnership deals
CAIRO: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo on Wednesday, sealing a raft of new partnership deals and signalling a united front on regional crises in Iran, Sudan and Gaza.
Ministers from both countries signed 18 additional agreements spanning defense, tourism, health and agriculture.
At a joint news conference, El-Sisi said they agreed on the need to implement all phases of the Gaza truce agreement, speed up humanitarian aid deliveries and maintain a focus on “a two-state solution, establishing a Palestinian state.”
Egypt and Turkiye now form half of the mediating bloc for the current Gaza truce, back the Sudanese army in its war with paramilitary forces and share increasingly convergent positions across the region.
On Sudan, El-Sisi said Wednesday both sides want to see a “humanitarian truce that leads to a ceasefire and a comprehensive political path.”
El-Sisi also called for efforts to avoid escalation in the region, advance diplomatic solutions and “avert the spectre of war, whether regarding the Iranian nuclear file or concerning the region in general.”
Erdogan echoed the need for diplomacy, saying foreign interference poses “significant risks to the entire region” and that dialogue remained “the most appropriate method” for addressing disputes with Iran.
Both leaders also underscored support for Somalia’s territorial integrity amid heightened regional friction.
Both countries have backed the government of Somalia and condemned Israel’s recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland.
Turkiye supplied Egypt with advanced drones in 2024 and the two countries plan to manufacture them jointly.
Erdogan arrived in Cairo after a stop in Riyadh, with his tour coinciding with US-Iran contacts initially planned for Turkiye before Tehran requested a shift to Oman.
Ministers from both countries signed 18 additional agreements spanning defense, tourism, health and agriculture.
At a joint news conference, El-Sisi said they agreed on the need to implement all phases of the Gaza truce agreement, speed up humanitarian aid deliveries and maintain a focus on “a two-state solution, establishing a Palestinian state.”
Egypt and Turkiye now form half of the mediating bloc for the current Gaza truce, back the Sudanese army in its war with paramilitary forces and share increasingly convergent positions across the region.
On Sudan, El-Sisi said Wednesday both sides want to see a “humanitarian truce that leads to a ceasefire and a comprehensive political path.”
El-Sisi also called for efforts to avoid escalation in the region, advance diplomatic solutions and “avert the spectre of war, whether regarding the Iranian nuclear file or concerning the region in general.”
Erdogan echoed the need for diplomacy, saying foreign interference poses “significant risks to the entire region” and that dialogue remained “the most appropriate method” for addressing disputes with Iran.
Both leaders also underscored support for Somalia’s territorial integrity amid heightened regional friction.
Both countries have backed the government of Somalia and condemned Israel’s recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland.
Turkiye supplied Egypt with advanced drones in 2024 and the two countries plan to manufacture them jointly.
Erdogan arrived in Cairo after a stop in Riyadh, with his tour coinciding with US-Iran contacts initially planned for Turkiye before Tehran requested a shift to Oman.
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