US officials say President Biden and his team want to avoid further escalation that could lead to broader wars in the Middle East, and have told Israel that a successful defense against Iranian airstrikes is a major strategic victory. and advised that no further retaliation may be necessary.
The intercepting of nearly all of the more than 300 drones and missiles launched against Israel on Saturday night shows that Israel has taken the lead in the showdown with Iran, and that it is working with its ally the United States to defend itself. He proved to the enemy that he had the ability to protect himself. There is an inevitable need to fight back, officials said.
It was not immediately clear whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government would agree to leave it in place. Although the damage caused by the attack was relatively light, the scope of the attack went far beyond the small-scale shadow war of retaliation between Iran and Israel in recent years, and went beyond firing weapons from Iranian territory into Israeli territory. I crossed a line that shouldn't be allowed. Had the defenses not been defended, several or even hundreds of people might have been killed.
Emotions were running high among Israeli officials who were on the phone with their American partners late into the night, resulting in intense pressure to strike back. U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive discussions, stressed that the decision ultimately rests with Israel. Israeli warplanes struck a building in Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon early Sunday after Iranian-backed militias sent two explosive drones into Israel, which was linked to an Iranian airstrike. It was not clear whether they were related.
Biden spoke with Netanyahu on Saturday after the Iranian attack and reiterated his “firm commitment” to Israel's security. The president did not make public the advice he offered, but a statement issued after his call hinted at his intention to exercise restraint.
“Israel has demonstrated an incredible ability to defend against and defeat unprecedented attacks, sending a clear message to adversaries that they cannot effectively threaten Israel's security,” Biden said. ” Biden said.
He convened the leaders of seven major advanced democracies on Sunday and pledged to coordinate a “united diplomatic response,” an indication of his desired course after the attack. The United Nations Security Council will also hold an emergency meeting on Sunday.
“Taken together, @JoeBiden’s message is designed to be mildly persuasive. #Israel We must not pursue further escalation,” said Robert Satloff, executive director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. wrote on social media.
This will likely lead to criticism of Mr. Biden from conservatives. Conservatives were quick to advocate for strong military retaliation against Iran, not just from Israel but from the United States as well. “We must act quickly and launch aggressive retaliatory strikes against Iran,” said Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee. said in a statement posted online..
speaker mike johnson condemned the attack on Iran Biden himself has previously criticized the bipartisan bill passed by the Senate to provide security assistance to Israel and Ukraine, which the Biden administration has partially cited as “weakening Israel and appeasing Iran.” However, he did not mention that voting was not permitted. Representative Steve Scalise, Republican leader of the Louisiana House of Representatives, said The House of Representatives will consider aid to Israel this week “in light of Iran's unjustified attacks on Israel,” he said, without going into details.
The outbreak between Israel and Iran comes at a time of great tension between Biden and Netanyahu. In a phone conversation just 10 days ago, the president said that unless Prime Minister Netanyahu does more to alleviate civilian suffering in the enclave, leveraging U.S. aid for the first time since Hamas on October 7, He threatened to reconsider his support for Israel's war. He led terrorist attacks on Israel.
At the same time the two leaders clashed, Israel launched an airstrike on the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria, killing seven Iranian officers involved in a covert operation that threatened to escalate the situation, something Biden had long feared. It was just that. Still, the president made it clear that his support for Israel's security remained steadfast and warned Iran not to react.
U.S. and Israeli officials have spent the past few days coordinating military operations in case Iran takes action, with Biden ordering the dispatch of aircraft and a ballistic missile defense destroyer to the region. Administration officials were elated by Saturday's results in which the U.S. and Israeli forces shot down nearly everything thrown at Israel from Iran, including more than 100 ballistic missiles, with one official saying the feat was a military He said it may be unparalleled in history. Jordan intercepted the projectiles passing through its airspace, claiming it was protecting its own security.
Despite inflicting little visible damage, Iran signaled its readiness to withdraw after Saturday night's attack, clearly hoping to avoid direct engagement with the United States. Iran Mission to the United Nations: “This issue can be considered closed'' stated in a statement. “But if the Israeli regime makes a mistake again, Iran's response will be quite severe. This is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime, and the US must stay out of it!”
The number of drones and missiles fired at Israel was extraordinary, but Iran had been telegraphing its intent to attack for more than a week and had launched its drones hours before actually reaching Israeli territory. The announcement could not help but attract attention. defense. Some analysts interpreted this to mean that Iran wanted a show of force to save face after the killing of its officer, but did not want a full-scale war with Israel or the United States.
The situation was reminiscent of 2020, when President Donald J. Trump ordered an airstrike in Iraq aimed at killing Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, who led the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' powerful Quds Force. . Iran retaliated by firing missiles at well-defended U.S. military bases in Iraq, but the damage was relatively light, but about 100 U.S. military personnel were injured. I then sent a private message saying it was completed. Trump chose not to retaliate, and concerns about escalation faded.
In the days leading up to Saturday's attack on Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Tehran not to act, saying: “Whoever hurts us, we hurt them too.” But since no significant damage was done to Israel, Prime Minister Netanyahu may have leeway to declare victory and move forward. Israeli officials have not made their intentions clear.
“The operation is not over yet. We must remain vigilant and heed the instructions issued by the IDF and Home Front Forces,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said of the IDF. “We have to be prepared for every scenario. That being said, we thwarted the most significant wave of attacks and were 'successful.'
The US claims further military action could be deemed unnecessary because Israel also succeeded in removing senior Iranian officials in Damascus two weeks ago without paying a heavy price. It was something.