Pompeo Calls Israel, Saudi Arabia, and UAE After US Strike on Hezbollah

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L), Secretary of Defense Mark Esper (C) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff US army general Mark A. Milley (R) speak on stage during a briefing on the past 72 hours events in Mar a Lago, Palm Beach, Fla., on Dec. 29, 2019. Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke on the phone with the state heads of Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Dec. 30, a day after the United States conducted defensive strikes, including on the headquarters of the Iran-backed Hezbollah Brigades terrorist group.

The Sunday strikes on Kata’ib Hezbollah targets in Iraq and Syria were conducted two days after a civilian U.S. defense contractor was killed in a rocket attack on a northern Iraqi military base. Officials said as many as 30 rockets were fired in the assault.