Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the Christian Broadcasting Network that he believes it's absolutely possible that God hand-picked President Donald Trump to protect Jewish people from Iranian aggression.

He said what?

Pompeo, who traveled to Jerusalem this week for a tour of the Middle East, made the remarks to the network's Chris Mitchell.

During the interview, Mitchell asked Pompeo, "Could it be that President Trump right now has been sort of raised for such a time as this, just like Queen Esther, to help save the Jewish people from the Iranian menace?"

Queen Esther is a heroine of Jewish holiday Purim, which many in the Jewish faith celebrated this week.

"As a Christian, I certainly believe that's possible," Pompeo answered. He added that his confidence that the Lord's hands are diligently at work even when people cannot see the greater plan.

"It was remarkable — so we were down in the tunnels where we could see 3,000 years ago, and 2,000 years ago — if I have the history just right — to see the remarkable history of the faith in this place and the work that our administration's done to make sure that this democracy in the Middle East, that this Jewish state remains," he added. "I am confident that the Lord is at work here."

What else?



Pompeo made the remarks Thursday, the same day Trump declared that it's time the United States recognized Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

The Golan Heights is a region at the center of a long-standing, decadeslong dispute between Israel and Syria. Israel captured the territory during the Six Day War in 1967, but their sovereignty was never formally acknowledged or announced.

In a tweet, Trump wrote, "After 52 years it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel's Sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is of critical strategic and security importance to the State of Israel and Regional Stability!"