Report: US to Greenlight ’Israeli’ Attacks on Iran

Local Editor

The London-based Arabic-language Al-Hayat newspaper cited a Western diplomat as saying that "The US will give "Israel" the green light to attack any "Iranian presence in Syria" wherever and however "Israel" wants to."

The source noted, however, that the US was willing to accept a situation in which Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would remain in power after regaining control of all of Syria.

He said US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin would discuss the issue of southern Syria and the American "desire to completely clear the area of terrorist elements."

On Wednesday, Moscow and Washington struck a deal to hold the summit soon between Putin and Trump, a move likely to worry some US allies and draw a fiery reaction from some of Trump's critics at home.

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov, speaking after Putin met US National Security Adviser John Bolton in the Kremlin, said the summit would take place in a mutually convenient third country and that several more weeks were needed to prepare for it.

Moscow and Washington will announce the time and place of the summit on Thursday. In Washington, Trump said their meeting likely would take place after a July 11-12 summit of NATO leaders he is due to attend.

Trump said that Helsinki was a possible site. Other officials said the Russians were pushing for the summit to be in the Austrian capital of Vienna.

Trump listed Syria and Ukraine among the many subjects he said they would discuss. His list did not include warnings from US intelligence officials that Russia will try to interfere in US congressional elections in November.

"It is entirely possible for a US-Russia summit to be constructive, but I'm very concerned that after his recent performance at the G7 in Canada, President Trump will once again clash with our closest allies at the upcoming NATO summit, only to then engage in fawning photo ops with President Putin afterwards," Democratic Senator Chris Coons commented in a statement.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team