2024-08-15 07:27:19
Antony Blinken has cancelled his flight to the Middle East due to threats of a possible Iranian attack on Israel.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has cancelled a planned visit to the Middle East that was due to begin today, Walla reported.
According to information provided to journalist Barak Ravid by two sources close to the situation, the decision to cancel the flight is due to uncertainty over a potential Iranian attack on Israel.
Blinken was scheduled to travel to the region as part of his Middle East tour, but the current escalation of the situation has forced him to reconsider his plans.
Earlier, Cursor wrote that the US “decided to respond” to Iran’s military exercises.
The US has deployed a guided missile submarine to the Middle East as fears of an Iranian attack on Israel grow.
The decision came after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps began military exercises on Friday in the western province of Kermanshah, near the border with Iraq.
The Pentagon confirmed the submarine’s deployment and the accelerated arrival of the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group in the region following talks between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israel’s defense minister on Sunday.
The official statement noted that Austin reaffirmed the United States’ readiness to take all necessary measures to protect Israel, adding that the United States is strengthening its military presence in the Middle East amid growing regional tensions.
Earlier, an Iranian military spokesman told state news agency IRNA that the exercises were aimed at increasing combat readiness and vigilance.
Western countries are urging Iran to exercise restraint, fearing that retaliatory measures could escalate the regional conflict. Meanwhile, US media, citing Israeli intelligence sources, reported that Iran may be planning a direct attack that could happen in the coming days.