Iran warns its neighbors not to help Israel attack
Bracing itself for a retaliatory strike for the ballistic missile attack, Iran has been urging its Arab neighbors not to allow Israel to use their airspace.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Bracing itself for a retaliatory strike from Israel, Iran has been urging its Arab neighbors not to allow Israel to use their airspace, two diplomats from Gulf nations told NBC News on Friday.
Israel has vowed to respond to last week’s ballistic missile attack by Iran, prompting Tehran to warn countries that helping Israel in any way could potentially escalate into war, one of the diplomats said. Both asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the sensitive issue.
“The Gulf Cooperation Council is not interested in being caught in a crossfire,” one diplomat said. “Our focus has been on de-escalation.”
Many Arab nations such as Jordan and the United Arab Emirates host U.S. bases and oil facilities vital to the world economy, and Iran's warning about helping Israel is raising fears in the region that these sites could become targets.
But the second diplomat added that it was unlikely that any Arab nation would agree to allow its airspace to be used by the Israelis for a strike on Iran.
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