U.S. President Joe Biden delivers a virtual speech at the National Action Network Convention, in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, near the White House in Washington, DC, on April 12, 2024.
Mandel Ngan | Afp | Getty Images
President Joe Biden said Friday he expects Iran to strike Israel soon and reiterated that the United States would support and defend Israel if such an attack occurred.
During a White House event, when asked by reporters how imminent he thought an attack by Iran might be, Biden said that while he didn’t want to discuss “hard information,” his expectation was “sooner or later.” .
Asked what his message to Iran was, Biden responded: “Don’t do it.”
“We are dedicated to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel, we will help defend Israel, and Iran will not succeed,” he said.
Earlier in the day, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that American officials are in “constant communication” with their Israeli counterparts “to make sure they can defend themselves against these types of attacks.”
“We believe this is still a viable threat,” Kirby said. “We are doing everything we can to ensure that Israel can defend itself.”
Iranian officials, including the country’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have vowed to retaliate against Israel for the attack on its consulate in Damascus.
In response, Israel threatened to launch a direct attack on Iran if it was attacked.
NBC News reported last week that an Iranian attack on Israel could focus on military or intelligence targets, rather than civilians, two U.S. officials said. Officials also said the Biden administration has begun considering options for how to respond to various possible retaliatory moves by Iran.
Iran accused Israel of targeting its consulate in Damascus on April 1. Israeli officials said it was a building disguised as a diplomatic mission and that it is used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force.