US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the United Nations and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates about recent American attacks on Iranian-backed militias in Iraq in response to rocket fire on bases hosting American forces. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday and congratulated him on the US attack on Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. In his remarks, Netanyahu praised the US’s important action against Iran and its militias in the Persian Gulf region. On December 29, the US carried out five airstrikes against Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi-based Shi’ite militia that is linked to Iran and is accused of rocket attacks that killed a US contractor and wounded US soldiers. Pompeo tweeted on Tuesday morning that “Netanyahu and I had a productive call today. We discussed US defensive strikes in Iraq and Syria to counter Iran’s threats. The US will take decisive action to defend its citizens and interests.” The secretary of state discussed the recent attacks by the US on Iranian-backed militias in Iraq with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday night. “I made clear that our defensive action was aimed at deterring Iran and protecting American lives,” tweeted Pompeo. The secretary of state and crown prince expressed their “deep concerns” regarding the Kataib Hezbollah attacks on Coalition Forces in Iraq, according to a State Department spokesperson. Pompeo and Al Nahyan agreed that the American actions “to protect coalition interests were defensive, proportionate, and justified,” according to the spokesperson. Pompeo thanked the crown prince for the UAE’s support and engagement concerning many regional challenges and agreed to continue to “work together to counter Iran’s malign behavior.” Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud and Pompeo discussed the attacks on Tuesday and agreed that “the Iranian regime and its proxies continue to be a destabilizing force in the region and that nations have a right to defend themselves in the face of these threats.” Pompeo stressed to the Saudi crown prince that attacks by Iran or its proxies that harm Americans or American allies or interests will “be answered with a decisive response, as demonstrated yesterday.” He also thanked the crown prince for Saudi Arabia’s support and engagement with many regional challenges. Saudi Arabia condemned attacks launched last week by Iranian regime-backed militias against American forces in Iraq, an official source said in statement published by the state-owned Saudi Press Agency. The US military carried out airstrikes on Sunday against the Kataib Hezbollah militia in response to the killing of a US civilian contractor in a Friday rocket attack on an Iraqi military base, officials said. Omri Nahmias and Reuters contributed to this report.
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