Israel’s Netanyahu Praises ‘Important’ US Strikes Against Iran-Backed Militia in Iraq and Syria
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone with US Mike Pompeo on Monday, a day after American air strikes...
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Lisbon, Portugal, Dec. 4, 2019. Photo: Patricia de Melo Moreira / Pool via Reuters.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone with US Mike Pompeo on Monday, a day after American air strikes targeted several bases in Iraq and Syria belonging to a Tehran regime-backed group.
A statement published by Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister “commended” Pompeo on “the important US action against Iran and its proxies in the region.”
According to an Axios report, the strikes — which came in response to the killing of a US civilian contractor in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base — were “welcomed enthusiastically” by the Israeli government.
Netanyahu, the report said, had been “very concerned by Trump’s Iran policies over the past several months, including his efforts to open dialogue and, even more so, his restraint after Iranian provocations like September’s attack on Saudi oil installations.”
However, the report noted, “Israeli military and intelligence officials are not sure yet whether the strikes represent a shift or were an isolated incident motivated by the killing of an American contractor by a pro-Iranian militia in Iraq.”
“Let’s see if they continue attacking the Iranians,” a senior Israeli intelligence official told Axios.