President Biden and his team, hoping to avoid further escalation leading to a wider war in the Middle East, are advising Israel that its successful defense against Iranian airstrikes was a major strategic victory that may not require another round retaliation, US officials said.
The interception of almost all of the more than 300 drones and missiles launched against Israel on Saturday night showed that Israel had moved forward in its confrontation with Iran and demonstrated to enemies its ability to defend itself alongside its American allies, meaning that he didn’t necessarily have to fight back, the officials said.
Whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and his government would agree to leave it at that was not immediately clear. Although the damage from the attack was relatively light, the scope of the strikes went far beyond the small-scale shadow war between Iran and Israel in recent years, crossing the red line by launching weapons from Iranian soil into Israeli soil. Had the defenses not been held, dozens or hundreds could have been killed.
Emotions ran high among Israeli officials during late-night phone calls with American partners, and pressure to respond was accordingly strong. The US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe sensitive discussions, stressed that the decision ultimately rests with Israel. Israeli warplanes struck structures in Lebanon controlled by Hezbollah early on Sunday after the Iran-backed militia sent two explosive drones into Israel, but it was unclear how much of this was related to the Iranian airstrike.
Mr Biden spoke to Mr Netanyahu on Saturday after the Iranian attack and reiterated his “ironclad commitment” to Israel’s security. While the president did not publicly reveal any advice he offered, in a statement released after the call, he hinted at a desire for restraint.
“I told him that Israel has demonstrated a remarkable ability to defend itself and defeat even unprecedented attacks – sending a clear message to its enemies that they cannot effectively threaten Israel’s security,” Mr Biden said.
He vowed to convene the leaders of the Group of 7 major industrialized democracies on Sunday to coordinate a “joint diplomatic response”, a sign of his preferred way forward after the attack. The United Nations Security Council will also meet in an emergency session on Sunday.
“In combination, @JoeBiden’s message is designed to gently persuade #Israel not seek further escalation,” said Robert Satloff, executive director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. he wrote on social media.
That will draw criticism of Mr. Biden from conservatives, who quickly went public with calls for strong military retaliation against Iran — not just from Israel, but also from the United States. “We must move quickly and unleash aggressive retaliation against Iran,” said Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee. he said in a statement posted online.
Speaker Mike Johnson blamed the strike on Iran in part on the Biden administration for “undermining Israel and appeasing Iran” without mentioning that he has so far not allowed a vote on bipartisan legislation passed by the Senate that provides security assistance to Israel and the Ukraine. Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the House Republican leader, said that “In light of Iran’s unprovoked attack on Israel,” the House this week will consider providing aid to Israel, but gave no details.
The blowout between Israel and Iran came at a time of great tension between Mr. Biden and Mr. Netanyahu. In a call just 10 days ago, the president threatened to reconsider his support for Israel’s war on Gaza if Mr Netanyahu did not do more to ease civilian pain in the enclave, drawing on American support for the first time since Hamas on October 7. led the terrorist attack on Israel.
At the same time the two leaders clashed, Israel had just carried out an airstrike on the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus, Syria, killing seven Iranian officers involved in covert operations in a move that threatened the escalation long feared by Mr. .Biden. Even so, the president made it clear that his support for Israel’s security remains unwavering and warned Iran not to retaliate.
US and Israeli officials have spent the past few days coordinating military operations in case Iran does act, and Mr Biden has ordered ballistic missile defense aircraft and destroyers to the region. Administration officials cheered the results Saturday as US and Israeli forces shot down almost everything fired at Israel by Iran, including more than 100 ballistic missiles, a feat one official said may not be matched by the military. history. Jordan intercepted missiles crossing its airspace, saying it was guarding its own security.
Although Iran did little tangible damage, it signaled after Saturday’s strike that it was ready to stand down — and clearly hoped to avoid direct involvement with the United States. “The matter can be considered concluded,” the Iranian mission to the United Nations he said in a statement. “However, if the Israeli regime makes another mistake, Iran’s response will be much more severe. It is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime that the US MUST STAY AWAY from!”
While the number of drones and missiles launched into Israel was extraordinary, it did not go unnoticed that Iran had telegraphed its intentions to attack for more than a week and announced the launch of the drones hours before they reached Israeli territory, giving plenty of warning to defenses. . Some analysts interpreted this as a sign that Iran wanted a show of force to save face after the killing of its officers, but did not want an all-out war with Israel or the United States.
The situation was reminiscent of when in 2020 President Donald J. Trump ordered an airstrike in Iraq to kill Lt. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who led the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ powerful Quds Force. Iran responded by firing missiles at well-defended US bases in Iraq with relatively little damage, although about 100 US servicemen were injured. He then sent a private message saying it was done. Mr Trump chose not to retaliate and fears of an escalating cycle faded.
In the days leading up to Saturday’s attack in Israel, Mr Netanyahu warned Tehran not to act, saying: “Whoever hurts us, we hurt him.” But since Israel was not particularly hurt, Mr. Netanyahu may have some leeway to declare victory and move on. Israeli officials were not clear about their intentions.
“The campaign is not over yet – we must remain alert and pay attention to the instructions published by the IDF and the Home Front Command,” said Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, referring to the Israel Defense Forces. “We have to be prepared for every scenario. That being said, we did prevent the most significant wave” of the attack, “and we did so successfully.”
The American argument was that because Israel also successfully fired those senior Iranian officers in Damascus two weeks ago without paying a significant price, another round of military action could be considered unnecessary.