US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone after Iran attacked Israel in the early morning of April 14. During the call, President Biden said that the joint defense efforts of the US and other countries in the region had caused Iran's attack to fail.
President Joe Biden reportedly said he would not support or participate in Israel's response to Iran
"You had a victory. Accept it," President Biden told Prime Minister Netanyahu, a US official told Axios . The White House owner also made clear that the US would not participate in any Israeli offensive in response to Iran, nor would he support it. In response, Prime Minister Netanyahu said he understood this, according to the White House official.
President Biden says US will not support Israel in fighting back against Iran
Earlier, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin asked Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to notify the US before any response.
In a statement after the call, President Biden said the US military had sent planes and warships to the region over the past week to help Israel defend itself, intercepting nearly all UAVs and missiles from Iran, Yemen, Syria and Iraq.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call with President Joe Biden on April 14
OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL
"I told Prime Minister Netanyahu that Israel has demonstrated incredible capability to defend and defeat unprecedented attacks, sending a clear message to its enemies that Israel's security cannot be threatened," Biden said.
CNN quoted two US officials as saying that US forces intercepted more than 70 drones and at least three ballistic missiles during the April 14 attack. The missiles were intercepted by US warships in the eastern Mediterranean. The US Navy currently has two destroyers in the area, both equipped with guided missiles. US fighter jets also assisted Israel and shot down the drones.
In the latest announcement, Defense Minister Gallant announced that Israel had repelled the first major attack but the confrontation was not over, according to Reuters. More than 300 missiles and UAVs were launched, including from Iran, Iraq, and Yemen. The Israeli military claimed to have intercepted 99% of the threat.
On April 14, the US President will have a phone call with G7 leaders to coordinate a unified diplomatic response to Iran's actions.
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