US gives nod to Israel targeting of Iranian military chief in Syria: Report

The US has given Israel the green light to assassinate General Qassem Soleimani, commander of an elite Iranian military unit and mastermind behind Tehran’s military operations across the Middle East, Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida reported on Monday.

Al-Jarida quoted an unnamed source in Jerusalem who said that the two allies have made a quiet agreement after deciding that Soleimani is a “threat to the two countries’ interests in the region”.

According to the same source, the Americans thwarted an Israeli attempt to kill Soleimani three years ago near Damascus, warning the Iranians about the plan.

That incident “sparked a sharp disagreement between the Israeli and American security and intelligence apparatuses”.

Israeli daily Haaretz has described Al-Jarida as an Israeli mouthpiece.

Mahan Abedin, an analyst of Iranian politics, told MEE that the “deal appears to make sense” if seen within a context of increased American aggression toward Iran and Israel’s willingness “to go after Iranian assets”.

 

Read the whole story from Middle East Eye.

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