US doesn't seek war with Iran, looks to curb Israeli response
| Published date | 14 April 2024 |
| Author | TOVAH LAZAROFF |
| Publication title | Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel) |
But, he stressed, the US "will continue to help Israel defend itself."
"We made it very clear to all parties[,] including Iran, what we would do and how we would continue to defend Israel and also how seriously we would take any potential threat to our personnel and our facilities in the region," Kirby stated.
He spoke as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held meetings with the war cabinet and the security cabinet to decide what Israel's response should be, amid reports that US President Joe Biden had personally prevented Netanyahu from issuing orders for a direct attack.
President Isaac Herzog told Sky News on Sunday that Israel was considering all options, in a situation where Iran had effectively issued a "declaration of war."
A US official, however, said that "Israel made clear to us, it was not seeking escalation."
An official stressed to reporters that the US would not be involved in any potential Israeli response to the Iran attack. US officials who briefed reporters after the dramatic events of late Saturday night explained that this was the first time that Iran had directly attacked the Jewish state.
It came after four decades of shadow wars, including Israel's battles over the last half-year with Iranian proxy group Hamas in the South, Hezbollah in the North, and the Houthis in Yemen.
"Incredible military achievement"
Israel defended itself against a barrage of over 300 ballistic and cruise missiles, and drones, launched at the Jewish state from Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.
In an unprecedented move, Israel prevented 99% of the missiles from reaching their targets with the help of a coalition of armed forces that included the armies of the US, the United Kingdom, France, and Jordan.
US officials told reporters that the Biden administration had begun preparing 10 days ago for a coordinated response to such an attack, in light of Israel's strike in Damascus that killed seven Iranian officials on April 1, including one senior IRGC official.
Biden had given instructions to the relevant US officials and bodies to defend Israel to "the maximum extent possible," US officials said.
He was the first "American President to directly defend Israel. He followed and directed every detail of his response, starting nearly two weeks ago, as we began...
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