Biden responds to Iran's attack on Israel as US scrambles to avoid major war
Washington DC - President Joe Biden said US forces helped Israel shoot down nearly all the drones and missiles fired by Iran Saturday, but appeared to guide it away from retaliating against Tehran.
Biden added that he was convening fellow G7 leaders on Sunday to coordinate a diplomatic response against Tehran, in another sign that he is trying to avoid any further military escalation that could ignite a wider Middle East conflict.
The Democrat, who rushed back to Washington from Delaware on Saturday, said he had called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reaffirm Washington's "ironclad" support for Israel, after recent tense relations over Israel's brutal war on Gaza.
"I told him that Israel demonstrated a remarkable capacity to defend against and defeat even unprecedented attacks – sending a clear message to its foes that they cannot effectively threaten the security of Israel," he said.
He said he had ordered US military aircraft and ballistic missile defense destroyers to the Middle East in recent days, as the likely threat following a presumed Israeli strike on Iranians in Damascus became clear.
"Thanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skill of our service members, we helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles," Biden said.
Biden said he would on Sunday "convene my fellow G7 leaders to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran's brazen attack."
Fears that Israel wants to drag US into Middle East war
Biden's comments hinted at the US balancing act between unconditionally supporting its ally as it destabilizes the entire region, but wanting to deescalate tensions amid fears of being dragged into another Middle East war.
Those fears have mounted ever since a presumed Israeli strike on April 1 leveled an Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus, killing seven members of the elite Revolutionary Guards, including two generals.
After launching the unprecedented attack, Tehran warned the US Sunday to "stay away" from its conflict with Israel.
Biden also seems keen to de-escalate, reportedly telling Netanyahu that he would oppose an Israeli counterattack against Iran and that he should "take the win."
NBC said he had privately expressed concerns to others that Netanyahu was trying to drag the US more deeply into a broader conflict.
Cover photo: IMAGO / MediaPunch