The deputy commander of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, landed in Israel last week for a visit and met with the IDF deputy chief of staff, Major General Amir Baram, Ynet reported yesterday. The parties discussed shipments of critical weapons that the outgoing Biden administration has delayed until now, and improving readiness for a possible joint attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. The IDF spokesperson reported that Baram and Cooper visited a number of Israeli Air Force bases, where a review of joint operational operations took place. “In addition, a joint discussion was held regarding the threats from Yemen and cooperation with the U.S. military,” the IDF spokesman reported.
Israel and the U.S. are discussing the Biden Administration’s delayed weapons shipment, which includes 1,700 heavy bombs, 134 D9 Caterpillar bulldozers, and additional weapons, Ynet explained. The IDF is already preparing to target Iran’s nuclear facilities by improving readiness for a possible joint attack with the U.S.
But would such an attack, coming without a provocation, be legal? Tehran is warning that it wouldn’t be and that it could trigger a wider war. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said yesterday that U.S. threats to attack Iranian nuclear facilities are a gross violation of international norms. “This issue has been raised repeatedly. From the point of view of international law, threats to use force by any country are a gross violation of international law and the UN Charter. This issue is doubly a violation of international agreements,” Baghaei said, reported Sputnik. This U.S. threat is a threat against the country’s peaceful nuclear infrastructure, he stressed. “The UN Security Council should intervene and hold the United States internationally accountable for these statements,” Baghaei added.