Pompeo accuses Iran of using terrorist groups to target 'great ally' Israel

Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo on Saturday (local time) accused Iran of using its terrorist proxies to target Israel.

"Iran uses its terrorist proxy Palestinian Islamic Jihad to strike our great ally Israel. Iran does not want peace in the region. It does not want the Palestinian people to prosper. It wants more conflict. Until we address Iran's threats, the cycle of violence will continue," Pompeo tweeted.

The US Secretary of State called for sustained pressure on Iran until it negotiates a comprehensive agreement that includes halting its support to terror groups like PIJ.

"The way forward is clear: continued pressure until Iran negotiates a comprehensive agreement that includes halting its support to terror groups like PIJ. Nations around the world can no longer claim to want peace in the region yet allow Iran's threats to go unchallenged," he said.

On Tuesday, PIJ had announced that one of its commanders was killed in an airstrike by Israeli forces on his home in the besieged Gaza Strip on Monday night.

Baha Abu al-Ata, 42, was killed with his wife in the airstrike that ripped through the building in Gaza City's Shejaiya district.