A senior U.S. military commander landed in Israel on Thursday a day after President Joe Biden warned that Iran may soon launch a “significant” attack on the country in retaliation for the assassination of a top commander in Syria.
The trip by Gen. Erik Kurilla, who will help Israel coordinate a military strategy in response to the threat, comes at a “very dangerous” moment for regional security and for the United States, according to Bruce Riedel, a former CIA analyst who has served as senior advisor on the Middle East to four U.S. presidents on the National Security Council.
“The Israeli decision to attack, to bomb the Iranian embassy in Damascus was extremely provocative. Attacking a diplomatic facility is a big step up,” Riedel said, referring to the attack on an Iranian mission in Syria last week that killed Mohammad Reza Zahedi and other IRGC officials.