As we reported earlier, there was an official statement released in the name of Joe Biden on the Iran attack on Israel condemning Iran for their actions and saying how the U.S. had helped Israel take down the drones and the missiles of the attack.
According to a report, Biden also told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. would not participate in any offensive action against Iran because there was nothing of "value" that was hit during the Iranian attack on Saturday.
The president called Israel’s defense during the attacks a win — telling Netanyahu Israel’s ability to intercept nearly all of the hundreds of missiles and drones showed its military superiority, a US official told CNN.
Biden also made it very clear that the US would not be engaging in any military offensive against the Islamic Republic, the senior official told the channel
Most of the missiles/drones were taken down by a combination of the IDF and the U.S. military, as U.S. military jets also participated in the defensive.
A handful of missiles made it through, with one striking an Israeli base, but damages were minor and no injuries were reported, according to IDF officials.
A senior US official told CNN that the US forces intercepted more than 70 drones and at least three ballistic missiles. The missiles were shot down by two guided missile destroyers deployed in the eastern Mediterranean.
In his statement, Biden said he would be meeting with G7 leaders to address this with a coordinated "diplomatic response."
But there's more.
There's a reason the U.S. knew an attack was coming — Iran told them, according to an NBC report.
In back-channel communications with the U.S. over the past two weeks, Iran indicated it would retaliate against Israel but wanted to avoid an escalation that would lead to all-out war, U.S. officials said.
The question now is whether Iran’s attack will be interpreted in the way Tehran has planned, or trigger an unintended reaction from Israel that could escalate into an uncontrollable cycle of violence, analysts said.
So Iran is basically saying that they wanted a free hit to respond to the killing of Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior member of the Quds Force, but with no major return response. Hence, the slow-moving drone tip-off.
And even in the face of that, Biden went on vacation anyway.
NBC said there was a girl who was seriously injured, but at this point, no deaths.
According to this report, once again, the Biden team is privately dinging Israel while saying publicly their support is "ironclad."
There is concern among top U.S. officials that Israel could quickly respond to Iran’s attacks without thinking through the potential fallout, according to a senior administration official and a senior defense official.
Those concerns stem in part from the Biden administration’s views of the approach Netanyahu and other Israeli officials have taken to Israel's war against Hamas, as well as the attack in Damascus.
U.S. officials have privately expressed frustration with Israel’s decision to strike the Iranian consulate in Syria, saying Israeli leaders did not think through the timing and implications of the attack, including how it might affect negotiations over the release of hostages held by Hamas.
“I don’t think they had a strategy,” the senior administration official said. “The Israelis don’t always make the best strategic decisions.”
Senior leaders at the Pentagon also have privately expressed frustration at the timing of the Damascus strike, according to the senior defense official, because it had the potential to be “catastrophically escalatory.”
There's more.
Biden has privately expressed concern that Netanyahu is trying to drag the U.S. more deeply into a broader conflict, according to three people familiar with his comments.
While the White House believes the Israelis are not looking for a wider war or a direct war with Iran, particularly given the resources they have fighting the war in Gaza, U.S. officials can’t be certain, the senior administration official said.
Had Biden displayed more sense in his previous dealings with Iran and not thrown Israel under the bus with his recent actions, this may not have happened, and he wouldn't have to now be scrambling about what to do. It was all borne out of his weakness in regard to Iran that they decided they had the space to do this. Iran used slow drones that telegraphed that the attack was coming, so they had time to respond.
And still, what's the Biden team's response? They're worried about Israel? How about being worried about Iran, the terrorist monster state they coddled and helped to feed? They're making the same mistake again. Now they want to shut down Israel's response, and if things go south, they'll blame Israel for defending themselves and not Iran or Biden's own bad policies.
READ MORE:
Biden Insisted on Vacation in Face of Threat From Iran, Now He's Rushing Back. Something Is Up.
White House Declares ‘Ironclad’ Support for Israel Amid Iranian Drone Attacks
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