Egypt’s Foreign Ministry on Friday said it was following developments in Iraq with great concern and appealed against any further escalation, reported Egypt Today.
“The Foreign Ministry is following with great concern accelerating developments in Iraq, which augur an escalation it is important to avoid,” the statement said. “For this reason, Egypt calls for containing the situation and avoiding any escalation.”
The statement comes after a U.S. airstrike on Baghdad International Airport killed Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis on Friday, prompting regional and international concerns of increased tensions in the Middle East. The controversial military action was authorized by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Pentagon said Soleimani was making plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.
US President Trump said on his Twitter account that Soleimani should have been killed several years ago for his involvement in killing thousands of Americans.
“We take comfort in knowing that his reign of terror is over,” Trump said after the airstrike killed Soleimani.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo justified the airstrike saying that Washington was committed to de-escalating the situation.
The US government said it was sending nearly 3,000 more troops to the Middle East, reflecting concern about potential Iranian retaliation. Washington also urged Americans to leave Iraq immediately following the airstrike that killed Iran’s state TV said killed Soleimani and nine others.
Meanwhile, Iran and its allies in the region have announced that they will avenge Soleimani’s murder. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei said they will soon take revenge from those behind the attack.
Khamenei said Soleimani’s death would double resistance against the US and Israel. He also announced three days of national mourning and named Soleimani’s deputy Esmail Ghaani as the new leaders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
