President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US will not support any counterattack against Iran, sources have revealed.
Biden spoke with Netanyahu in a late-night phone call after Iran bombarded Israel with hundreds of missiles and drones on Saturday in response to a drone strike in Syria that killed 12 Iranians, including two top generals.
A senior White House official told Axios that Biden made it clear to Netanyahu that US forces would not participate in any further operations. Netanyahu said he understood.
Biden reportedly told the Israeli Prime Minister: ‘You got a win. Take the win’, amid fears amongst White House officials that an Iran attack will lead to a greater war in the region.
Officials told CNN that all in US forces managed to intercept more 70 drones and at least three ballistic missiles during the attack, but don’t have an appetite to take Iran head on.
Three senior administration officials have also told NBC News that Biden had privately expressed concern that Netanyahu is trying to pull the US into the conflict.
The White House believes the Israelis are not looking for a direct war with Iran but US officials can’t be certain, an official told the outlet.
President Biden released a statement following the call between the two leaders saying it had reaffirmed America’s ‘ironclad commitment to the security of Israel’.
He also added that he would be meeting with G7 leaders on Sunday to coordinate a ‘diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack’.
Biden said that Israel had demonstrated a ‘remarkable capacity’ in defending itself against the attacks that were launched by Iran on Saturday.
According to a statement from his office, the two spoke shortly after Netanyahu finished a meeting with ministers in his cabinet.
President Biden said that US forces had played a part in taking down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles.
His full statement said: ‘Earlier today, Iran—and its proxies operating out of Yemen, Syria, and Iraq—launched an unprecedented air attack against military facilities in Israel. I condemn these attacks in the strongest possible terms.
‘At my direction, to support the defense of Israel, the U.S. military moved aircraft and ballistic missile defense destroyers to the region over the course of the past week.
‘Thanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skill of our servicemembers, we helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles.
‘I’ve just spoken with Prime Minister Netanyahu to reaffirm America’s ironclad commitment to Israel’s security.
