Jalil Afridi
Washington, D.C.: In today’s daily press briefing at the U.S. State Department, Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson, commenced without any opening remarks. Journalists anticipated a statement regarding the recent killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran by Israel, which occurred yesterday.
However, Patel refrained from commenting on the incident’s impact or speculating on future developments.
When asked about Qatar, Patel described the nation as an “irreparable partner,” highlighting the ongoing relationship between the two countries. He also firmly stated that the U.S. was not involved in the killing of Haniyeh.
The briefing saw persistent questioning from Mr. Said of Al Quds news agency, who inquired multiple times whether Iran had the right to defend itself following Israel’s actions. Patel did not provide a direct response but emphasized that Iran has been promoting terrorism since 1979.
He also mentioned that the U.S. has observed Israel engaging in constructive negotiations, referring to Israel as “our partner” several times during the session. Tensions rose when Patel asked Mr. Said not to interrupt the briefing, acknowledging his passion for the issue but urging respect for the press protocol.
Another journalist raised concerns about potential foreign influence, questioning if Israel was sponsoring election campaigns in America. Patel responded by noting that U.S. laws are designed to address such violations, implying that any breaches would be investigated accordingly.
In a related development, Pakistani senior politician Mr. Javed Hashmi, in his recent Vlog, expressed the opinion that the U.S. is willing to make significant sacrifices for Israel. He speculated that the killing of Mr. Haniyeh could lead to retaliatory actions, potentially resulting in violence on American soil in the future.
