President Joe Biden praised American forces who helped Israel shoot down “almost all” of the drones and missiles launched by Iran and vowed to coordinate a global response to Tehran’s unprecedented attack. The Pentagon said US forces intercepted “dozens of missiles” and drones launched from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen headed towards Israel.
With regional tensions at their highest levels since the war between Israel and Hamas began six months ago, Biden pledged on Saturday that American support for Israel’s defense against attacks by Iran and its proxies is “ironclad.” The attack marked the first time Iran launched a direct military attack against Israel, risking a broader regional conflict.
Biden made clear in a call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the United States will not participate in any offensive action against Iran, according to a senior administration official who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The United States and Israel had been preparing for an attack for days after Iran said it would retaliate for a suspected Israeli strike this month on an Iranian consular building in Syria that killed 12 people, including two Iranian Force generals Revolutionary Guard elite Quds.
“At my request, to support the defense of Israel, the U.S. military moved ballistic missile defense aircraft and destroyers to the region over the course of the past week,” Biden said in a statement late Saturday. “Thanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skill of our military, we have helped Israel shoot down nearly all incoming drones and missiles.”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement that the United States had eliminated dozens of strikes, but provided no details on the ships or planes involved in the operation for which commanders had been preparing over the past two weeks.
“Our forces remain positioned to protect American troops and partners in the region, provide additional support to Israel’s defense, and strengthen regional stability,” Austin said, adding that troops stand ready to prevent any further conflict.
Biden had cut short his weekend stay at his Delaware beach house to meet with his national security team at the White House, returning to Washington minutes before Israeli officials confirmed they had detected drones launched toward their territory from ‘Iran.
He called a meeting of top National Security Council members in the White House Situation Room to discuss the evolving situation, the White House said, before speaking to Netanyahu.
“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,” Biden said.
Biden added that he will convene a meeting of the Group of Seven Advanced Democracies on Sunday “to coordinate a unified diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack.”
The Pentagon reported that Austin had spoken twice with his Israeli counterpart to praise the “extraordinary defensive measures and strong cooperation undertaken to defeat this Iranian attack on Israel” and again stated clearly that “Israel can count on the full support of the United States United to defend Israel against any future attacks by Iran and its regional proxies.” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also spoke with his counterpart to reinforce Washington’s “iron commitment to Israel’s security.”
National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement that “Iran has begun an air strike against Israel.” She added: “The United States will stand with the people of Israel and support their defense against these threats from Iran.”
Biden on Friday said the United States is “dedicated” to Israel’s defense and that “Iran will not succeed.” When asked by reporters what his message to Iran was, the president’s only response was: “Don’t do it.”
He ignored the question of what would trigger a direct U.S. military response.
The United States, along with its allies, have sent direct messages to Tehran to warn against further escalation of the conflict.
During the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, there have been almost daily firefights between Israeli forces and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group along the Israel-Lebanon border. U.S. officials have recorded more than 150 attacks by Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria against U.S. forces at bases in those countries since the war began on Oct. 7.
An attack in late January killed three U.S. service members in Jordan. In retaliation, the United States launched a massive airstrike, hitting more than 85 targets in seven locations in Iraq and Syria.
Meanwhile, commandos from Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard lowered themselves from a helicopter onto an Israeli-affiliated container ship near the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday and seized the vessel.
Watson, the NSC spokesman, said the United States strongly condemned the seizure and urged Iran to immediately release the vessel and crew.
“We will work with our partners to hold Iran to account for its actions,” he said.
Also on Saturday, the Israeli-occupied West Bank also saw some of the worst violence since Hamas’ attack on Israel.