US Tells Israel It Will Not Join Any Retaliatory Attack on Iran
The White House has warned Israel that the US will not participate in any retaliatory strikes on Iran, senior administration officials have said.
Over 300 drones and missiles were fired at Israel overnight, which Iran said was in response to a 1 April strike on its consulate in Syria.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, a senior administration official said that Mr. Biden told Israeli Prime Minister 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.
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.
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Both Mr Kirby and the official said that the US would continue to defend Israel, but has ruled out participating in any Israeli response.
The stance is one that has sparked criticism from some US lawmakers and former officials from both sides of the political spectrum.
Ohio Republican Representative Mike Turner, who serves as chair of the House intelligence committee, said that Mr Kirby’s comments about de-escalating the conflict were wrong.
It is already escalating, and the administration needs to respond, he said on NBC.
And John Bolton, who served as national security adviser under President Donald Trump, said the US should join Israel if its chose to launch a retaliatory attack on Iran’s nuclear programme.
