US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk on Wednesday called the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Iraq and asked them to convey a message to Iran to lower tensions with Israel, Reuters reported, quoting a knowledgeable source.

Middle East tension is at a height amid fears of Iran carrying out an imminent retaliatory strike against Israel for the killing of Iranian Quds commander Mohammad Reza Zahed.

According to the source, the foreign ministers complied with the US request and contacted Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian to convey the message.

Iran’s foreign ministry issued a statement on Wednesday saying that the foreign minister discussed “regional tensions” with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Iraq.

Meanwhile, the head of US Central Command (CENTCOM) General Michael Kurilla is expected to arrive in Israel on Thursday to discuss the Iranian threat.

Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday that the US will defend Israel if it’s attacked by Iran or its proxies and has not ruled out a joint response with Israel in the case of an attack. The report quotes a US official as saying that President Joe Biden’s statement that the US support of Israel’s security is ironclad was not an empty one.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)