Washington. The United States does not want to see an escalation in the Middle East crisis, a senior White House official said this Sunday after Israel repelled a massive missile and drone attack from Iran.
“We don’t want this to escalate,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “We are not seeking a broader war with Iran,” he added.
Israel was on high alert on Sunday after Iran’s unprecedented initiative sparked fears of a broader conflict.
Iran launched its first direct attack on Israeli territory on Saturday night in retaliation for a deadly Israeli attack on Tehran’s consulate in Damascus on April 1.
US President Joe Biden reaffirmed Washington’s “strong” support for Israel, while appearing to distance its unconditional ally from a military response.
According to the US news website Axios, Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he would oppose a counterstrike against Iran.
Kirby added in the interview that the United States is “alert” to any Iranian threat to US troops.
“We made it very clear to all parties, including Iran, what we would do… and also how seriously we would take any potential threat to our personnel,” he said.
Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles on Saturday night, wounding 12 people, according to the Israeli military, but almost all were intercepted before reaching Israeli territory, with help from the United States, Jordan, the United Kingdom and other allies.
#favor #escalating #crisis #Middle #East
– 2024-04-15 19:15:03
