Pence, Netanyahu, World Leaders Meeting to Discuss Terrorism, Iranian Influence in Middle East

A US-Polish sponsored conference on the Middle East opens in Warsaw, Poland on Wednesday. US Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will both attend as well as at least 10 Arab states and Israel.

The summit plans to address issues ranging from terrorism, extremism and missile development and proliferation to maritime trade and security.  But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others say the focus of the conference is Iran.

Before leaving for Poland Tuesday evening, Netanyahu said Arab unity against Iranian aggression is an important message. 

"This is a very important international conference in Warsaw. The focus is Iran. This brings together Israel, the US, and countries in and beyond the region. There will be interesting meetings there," Netanyahu said.

"Iran threatens us on the 40th anniversary of the revolution. They threatened to destroy Tel Aviv and Haifa, and I said that they would not succeed but if they try then I repeat that this will be the last anniversary of the revolution that they celebrate, this regime," he said.

Netanyahu said that Israel is operating in many ways against what he called "Iranian aggression" and their attempts to arm themselves with "nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles."  He said Israel had exposed their terrorist actions in Europe and blocked attempts at Iranian entrenchment in Syrian.  

Netanyahu said Israel had "very good" relations with the countries in the region – except Syria – even if those relations are not all out in the open. 

"I think that the holding of this conference in which Israel, the US, various countries around the world and from the region sit down in one place, in one hall and discuss one topic which, in my opinion, is the most important for our national security, is a very important achievement," Netanyahu said.

Iran called the conference an "anti-Iran circus."  Lebanon said it would not attend.

The Palestinian Authority is also staying away even though Iran is funding its rival Hamas. The Palestinians charge the conference is meant to normalize relations between Arab states and Israel without first dealing with the Palestinian issue.