President Joe Biden in the East Room of the White House, March 12, 2024, alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Iran threatens to attack U.S. bases if it supports an Israeli counter-attack, after unprecedented aerial bombardment.
By World Israel News Staff
After Iran launched an unprecedented aerial attack against Israel, which included hundreds of suicide drones and cruise missiles, President Joe Biden will not support an Israeli counter-attack on Iran.
Last week, Biden stressed that Washington’s “ironclad commitment to Israel’s security.”
During the attack overnight Saturday, U.S. military personnel and assets coordinated with Israel in order to intercept some of the drones and missiles before they reached Israeli airspace.
But according to reports, Biden has made it clear to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. is firmly against an Israeli response to the bombardment.
“Biden and his senior advisers are highly concerned an Israeli response to Iran’s attack on Israel would lead to a regional war with catastrophic consequences,” a senior White House official told Axios.
The source said that Biden phoned Netanyahu and told him that he should be satisfied that the Iranian attack didn’t cause significant damage in Israel, urging him to avoid retaliating.
“You got a win. Take the win,” Biden reportedly said to Netanyahu.
The Israeli premier was said to have informed Biden that he “understood” Washington won’t support an Israeli response, but did not give an indication regarding Jerusalem’s plans.
Later on Saturday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called his Israeli counterpart, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and asked for advance warning should Israel go on the offensive against Iran, an Israeli official told Axios.
Senior Israeli officials told Hebrew-language media outlet Mako that “there will be a significant and powerful response” of “unprecedented proportions” to the Iranian attack.
Arabic-language spokesman for the Israeli government Ofir Gendelman told Al-Arabiya that “the Israeli response will be firm and clear.”
Iranian officials threatened to escalate attacks against Israel, should Jerusalem respond.
“Our response will be much larger than tonight’s military action if Israel retaliates against Iran,” the Iranian armed forces’ Chief of Staff, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, told a state-controlled TV news outlet.
Bagheri added that Iran would target U.S. bases across the Middle East, should Washington support Israel in its retaliation.
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