U.S. President Joe Biden holds a press conference at the conclusion of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, May 21, 2023.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
The White House is taking a “wait-and-see” approach in response to Iran’s attempted attack on Israel, national security spokesman John Kirby said on Sunday, as President Joe Biden looks to calm the situation through diplomacy rather than military action.
“I think we have to wait and see what the Israelis do,” Kirby said on “Fox News Sunday.” “President Biden has worked very hard since the beginning of this conflict to prevent this from becoming a larger regional war and to prevent tensions from escalating.”
Iran fired several hundred drones and missiles at Israel on Saturday, most of which were intercepted in a coordinated effort between Israel, the United States and other partners in the region.
The Biden administration has worked to de-escalate the fallout from the attempted attack, which initially appeared to have the potential to trigger an all-out war in the Middle East.
On Sunday, Biden convened G-7 leaders to discuss the attack on Iran. The meeting was planned “to coordinate a unified diplomatic response,” Biden said in a statement on Saturday, indicating that the White House was committed to responding through diplomacy rather than military retaliation.
Iran said on Saturday its attack “can be considered complete,” suggesting that the escalation may be cooling down, at least for now, according to a statement from Iran’s U.N. mission.
“Should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be significantly harsher,” the statement continued.
Tehran had previously warned that it was planning retaliation in response to an April 1 attack on its consulate in Damascus that it blamed on Israel. Israel, in turn, promised to “respond and attack” if Iran carried out these threats.
In a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday evening, Biden said the U.S. would not engage in offensive operations against Iran, although the U.S. remained committed to helping Israel defend itself, a senior administration official told NBC News.
“It will be up to the Israelis to decide what the next step is here,” Kirby said.
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2024-04-14 16:23:52
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