President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were both briefed on Israel’s operation, the White House said Friday. Both were closely following developments and would continue to be updated, according to media reports.
A U.S. defense official said, “We were given a heads up” on the strikes, “but we’re not involved.”
White House is urging “Iran to cease its attacks on Israel,” National Security Council spokesperson says
The White House urges “Iran to cease its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting can end without further escalation,” National
Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said after Israel’s retaliatory strikes against Iran ended.
“Israel has announced that their response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack on October 1st is now complete.
As the Israelis have stated, their response was an exercise in self-defense and specifically avoided populated areas and focused solely on military targets, contrary to Iran’s attack against Israel that targeted Israel’s most populous city,” Savett said in a statement.
“The United States was not a participant in this operation. We aim to accelerate diplomacy and de-escalate tensions in the Middle East region. We urge Iran to cease its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting can end without further escalation.”
Israel launched direct retaliatory strikes against Iran in response to Tehran’s ballistic missile barrage earlier this month.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant spoke about Israel’s strikes on Iranian military targets.
Austin reaffirmed the ironclad commitment of the United States to Israel’s security and right to self-defense, the readout said.
The secretary emphasized the United States’ ability to defend U.S. personnel, Israel, and partners across the region in the face of threats from Iran and Iran-backed terrorist organizations and the U.S. determination to prevent any actor from exploiting tensions or expanding the conflict in the region, the statement added.
