Gulf states are pressing Washington to prevent Israel from attacking Iranian oil facilities because they are concerned that their oil facilities could be attacked in retaliation by Tehran’s proxies if the conflict escalates, three sources told Reuters. Gulf countries.

As part of their efforts to “not find themselves in the crossfire”, the Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, refuse to let Israel access their airspace for any attack on Iran , and have taken it to Washington, the three sources close to government circles said.

Israel has vowed that Iran will “pay” for its missile attack last week, while Tehran responded that any retaliation would be met with “massive destruction”, heightening fears of a wider war in the region that could spark panic. in the United States.

The Gulf states’ moves come after diplomatic pressure from non-Arab Shiite Iran to persuade its Sunni Gulf neighbors to exert their influence on Washington amid growing concerns that Israel may target its oil facilities.

During meetings this week, Iran warned Saudi Arabia that it could not guarantee the security of the Gulf kingdom’s oil facilities if Israel received “any help” to launch an attack, a senior Iranian official told Reuters. official and an Iranian diplomat.

It is noted that Israel’s security cabinet was scheduled to meet on Thursday, with Jewish media reporting that ministers will be asked to come up with a response to last week’s Iranian missile attack.

However, there were not a few times in the past when the cabinet was simply asked to authorize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallad to make a decision themselves, based on consultations with the rest of the security chain.