Iran’s attack on Israel: US, Saudi defense chiefs discuss developments in Mideast

The U.S. aims to avoid escalation and ‘to continue to defend Israel and U.S. personnel,’ says the statement issued by the U.S. Department of Defense

After Saturday’s attack by Iran on Israel, which has the potential to escalate regional tensions, the U.S. secretary of defense and his Saudi counterpart have discussed the latest developments in the Middle East.

“Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke today with the Saudi Minister of Defense, His Royal Highness Prince Khalid bin Salman, to discuss unprecedented attacks launched from Iranian territory and by Iran’s proxies in the region into Israel,” said a statement by the U.S. Department of Defense on Sunday.

The statement further said that Austin stressed the U.S. aims to avoid escalation and “to continue to defend Israel and U.S. personnel.”

“The Secretary underscored the importance of the enduring U.S. defense partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and reiterated the United States’ commitment to working with the Kingdom and other partners to de-escalate regional tensions,” the statement concluded.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a barrage of drones and missiles at Israel late on Saturday in response to the April 1 attack on the Iranian Consulate in Damascus.

The attack, which killed seven Iranian military officials, including a senior IRGC commander, drew sharp reactions from the Iranian government officials, who vowed a “decisive response.”

Tehran has accused Israel of carrying out the attack and vowed to respond. Tel Aviv has not officially claimed responsibility for the attack but it has for months carried out several strikes against Iranian targets across Syria.

Source: AA