Iran-Israel Attack: US Warns Israel that It Won’t Support Counterattack on Iran
The US has warned Israel that it will not participate in any retaliatory strikes on Iran, senior White House officials have said.
Over 300 drones and missiles were fired at Israel overnight, which Iran said was in response to an April 1 strike on its consulate in Syria.
Almost all weapons were shot down by Israeli, US and allied forces before they reached their targets.
White House officials said President Joe Biden urged Israel to consider its response “carefully”.
Speaking to reporters on April 14, a senior administration official said that President Biden told Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to “think very carefully and strategically” about how his forces replied to the unprecedented action, the first direct attack by Iran on the country.
The official added that the Biden administration believes Israel “got the best of it” in the exchange, which began when senior Iranian military commanders were killed at an Iranian consular building in Syria.
About 99% of the missiles, drones and cruise missiles launched during Iran’s retaliatory operation were shot down or intercepted – which US officials point to as a sign of Israeli military superiority over Iran.
US aircraft and naval vessels shot down dozens of Iranian projectiles as the attack took place. Some 70 drones and several ballistic missiles were downed by US aircraft and vessels or by air defence forces over Iraq.
A conversation took place between President Biden and PM Netanyahu at a time “of heightened emotion” just after the attack, which included about 100 ballistic missiles simultaneously flying towards Israel.
During the call, the two leaders had a discussion “about how to slow things down and think through things”, with President Biden emphasizing that Israel has “gotten the best of it”.
The official declined to say, however, whether the White House warned against a significant response, saying only that “it is a calculation the Israelis have to make”.
In a string of television appearances on US networks earlier in the day, national security spokesman John Kirby repeatedly said that the US had made it clear to Israel that it seeks to avoid a wider conflict.
The senior administration said that the same message has been sent to Iran through diplomatic channels.