US urges restraint following Iranian strikes on Israel
Shafaq News / The US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a call on Saturday that the US will not support any Israeli counterattack against Iran, a senior White House official told Axios.
Iran launched explosive drones and fired missiles directly at Israel late on Saturday, marking its first direct assault. This retaliatory strike has heightened the threat of a broader regional conflict, with the United States pledging unwavering support for Israel.
According to Axios sources, the official said that when Biden told Netanyahu that the US would not participate in any offensive operations against Iran and would not support such operations, Netanyahu said he understood.
On the other hand, a senior White House official stated that "Biden clarified to Netanyahu that Washington would not participate in any military operations against Iran," according to CNN.
These statements aligned with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's remarks after the Iranian attack on Israel, stating that "Washington is not seeking a conflict with Tehran."
Moreover, NBC News reported that senior officials in the Biden administration, along with senior defense officials, have voiced concerns about potential swift actions by Israel in response to the Iranian attack.
According to three informed sources cited by NBC News, President Biden has privately expressed concerns that Prime Minister Netanyahu might seek to draw the United States into a broader conflict.
The White House statement did not express concern or rejection of any Israel response to the Iranian attack.
The White House statement condemned the attacks by "Iran—and its proxies operating out of Yemen, Syria, and Iraq—(that) launched an unprecedented air attack against military facilities in Israel."
According to the readout, the US military deployed aircraft and ballistic missile defense destroyers to the region over the past week. "Thanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skill of our servicemembers, we helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles."
During the call with Prime Minister Netanyahu, the US president "reaffirmed the US's ironclad commitment to the security of Israel. I told him that Israel demonstrated a remarkable capacity to defend against and defeat even unprecedented attacks – sending a clear message to its foes that they cannot effectively threaten the security of Israel."
