Mike Pompeo and Binyamin Netanyahu
Mike Pompeo and Binyamin NetanyahuDavid Azagury / U.S. Embassy Jerusalem

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke on Monday with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, the State Department confirmed in a statement.

The conversation followed the US air strikes against the Kataib Hezbollah militia in Iraq, which came in response to the killing of a US civilian contractor in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base.

“Secretary Pompeo and Prime Minister Netanyahu discussed US strikes in Syria and Iraq and the threat Iran presents to the region. The Secretary reiterated that the US will take decisive action to defend its citizens and their interests against Iranian threats,” the statement said.

Earlier on Monday, Netanyahu said he spoke with Pompeo and congratulated him on what he called "the important US action against Iran and its proxies in the region".

Top US officials declared on Sunday that the air strikes against Iranian-backed forces in Syria and Iraq were “successful”, and hinted that the US was preparing for future attacks on Iranian assets in the Middle East.

The recent tensions come amid US accusations that Iran has been moving short-range ballistic missiles into Iraq.

A report last year said that Iran had transferred short-range ballistic missiles to its Shiite allies inside Iraq.

Iran rejected the report, claiming it aimed to harm Iran’s ties with its neighbors. Iraq’s Foreign Ministry said the article was “without evidence”, though it stopped short of denying its contents.