US President Joe Biden informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the United States will not join in any Israeli counter-offensive against Iran, according to CNN and the Wall Street Journal.
Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles toward Israel on Saturday night in reaction to a purported Israeli strike on Iran’s embassy in Syria on April 1.
Speaking with Netanyahu late Saturday, Biden advised that additional action was unneeded, while senior US officials informed their counterparts that the US would not participate in an offensive response against Iran.
“I told Prime Minister Netanyahu 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,” Biden said.
White House’s top national security spokesperson John Kirby told ABC that the US support for Israel’s “self-defense” is continuous, but it does not seek any war and conflict with Iran.
Iran had delivered a message to the Biden administration earlier this week via numerous Arab countries, saying that if the US intervenes in the conflict between Israel and Iran, US soldiers in the region will be attacked, according to several US sources.
Iran unleashed 120 ballistic missiles toward Israel and warned that, while its limited military activity against Israel was “concluded”, its next response will be harsher.
Israel is still weighing up the pros and cons of a military response to Iran’s retaliatory offensive.