Pakistan Army Chief: 'We'll Wipe Iran Off the Map'
JERUSALEM, Israel -- The chief of the army of Pakistan is warning that if Iran threatens Saudi Arabia, his country will strike back. It's the latest sign that the tensions between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran are spreading throughout the Middle East.
Recently, thousands of Iranians demonstrated against Saudi Arabia for the Jan. 2 execution of a top Shiite cleric. They carried pictures of the slain Sheik Nimr al-Nimr and many shouted death to the House of Saud.
"Saudi Arabia has collapsed and has been isolated. It has shown its true nature and has joined the club of wickedness and brutality," Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani, senior cleric and Friday prayers leader, charged.
"It has proved its anti-human nature to the world," he continued. "Those countries who cooperate with Saudi Arabia will be humiliated, and human society has no respect for them."
Meanwhile, in the Sunni nation of Pakistan, the chief of the army announced that any threat to the territorial integrity of Saudi Arabia would provoke a sharp response from Pakistan.
He said they would "wipe Iran off the map."
In Cairo, the Arab League held an emergency meeting of foreign ministers. Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told the gathering that Iran's attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran after the execution of al-Nimr was the latest incident in decades of aggression.
He also warned Iran risked being rejected by all the Arab countries of the region.
"If Iran wants to have a positive role in the region, they have to deal with their neighbors," he said. "Like it happens everywhere in the world, they should have good relations and not interfere in others' issues, rejecting terror and not supporting it."
"If Iran would do so, it would be possible to live peacefully in the region as neighbors. But if they continue to support sectarian aggression, terror and violence, they will face the rejection of the Arab countries," he warned.
Many experts don't expect a direct conflict between the two Middle East superpowers, but it's likely the proxy wars they're fighting in Yemen, Syria and Iraq will intensify.
About The Author
In a time where the world's attention is riveted on events in the Middle East, CBN viewers have come to appreciate Chris Mitchell's timely reports from this explosive region of the world. Chris brings a Biblical and prophetic perspective to these daily news events that shape our world.
He first began reporting on the Middle East in the mid-1990s. Chris repeatedly traveled there to report on the religious and political issues facing Israel and the surrounding Arab states. One of his more significant reports focused on the emigration of persecuted Christians from the Middle East.
In the past, Chris' reporting has been distinguished by award-winning coverage of revival movements and other spiritual issues. In addition to the Brownsville revival in Pensacola, Florida, he also covered an outbreak of revival in Missouri. His report on the "holy laughter" revivals in Toronto and London was named CBN's "Focus Story of the Year" in 1994.
That same year, Chris also earned a "Short Story of the Year" award for his examination of religious coverage in network news. He has reported on such movements as the Promise Keepers and the annual "Prayer and Fasting" campaign led by the late Campus Crusade founder, Dr. Bill Bright.
In addition to his reports for The 700 Club, Chris is a regular contributor to Christian World News, a weekly 30-minute newscast that airs nationally in multiple markets.
Before joining CBN News in 1992, Chris worked for three years as a researcher, producer, and reporter for the Features/Testimonies department of The 700 Club.
A native of the Boston area, Chris earned a B.A. in History at the University of New Hampshire in 1975. In 1987, he graduated with honors from Regent University, earning an M.A. in Communication. While a student at Regent (then CBN University), he anchored Newsight, a student-produced Christian news program.
After almost a decade with CBN News, Chris' goal is to provide in his stories the Biblical "understanding of the times" described in I Chronicles 12:32.
