As tensions continue to elevate in the Middle East, a former terrorist group leader is calling on members of the Muslim world to join in the fight against Israel and to protest in the streets on Friday, October 13, prompting international fears of violent outbreaks.
The call to action was levied by former Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal after an Israeli airstrike killed nearly 50 people and wounded dozens in a Gaza refugee camp on Thursday. Meshaal is urging fellow Muslims, especially those in the Middle East, to take up arms against the Jewish nation.
While U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., is not expecting any terrorist attacks to happen stateside, he said on Thursday’s episode of The Gallo Show that law enforcement agencies nationwide are prepared for any possible instances.
“I think we are now prepared. If this attack had not happened, we might have more to worry about because I don’t think anyone would have expected anything to happen to the United States or the rest of the Western world,” Wicker said. “I think we’re pretty much on guard right now.”
As ranking member of the Senate Armed Forces Committee and a member of the Intelligence Committee, Wicker voiced concerns about neither the U.S. nor Israel having any intel prior to the Hamas attack.
Moving forward, he would like to see intelligence groups from both nations come together and discuss the failure to detect the terrorist attacks and prepare to prevent any similar occurrences from happening in the future.
“This mobilization of one of the world’s worst terrorist groups, in Gaza, in a very small area — it just seems like we should have known about it,” Wicker added. “Israel is our great ally. We’re going to have to sit down with them once they start winning this battle, which I do think they win, and decide what went wrong.”
Wicker is also calling on the White House to toughen its U.S. border security policies after a “well-guarded” Israeli border was breached on Saturday morning when Hamas terrorists fired thousands of rockets and paraglided into Israel in a surprise attack. Terrorists were also captured on film kidnapping people and taking others hostage.
As of Thursday, the death toll in Israel was being reported at 1,300 — including 27 Americans — in Israel and over 1,500 in Gaza. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby announced that the U.S. will be providing charter flights to American citizens looking to leave Israel amid the current state of affairs.
