(WASHINGTON) – President Joe Biden cut short a weekend stay at his Delaware beach house and was returning to the White House on Saturday to meet with his national security team and monitor the situation in the Middle East as Iran launches an attack against Israel.
Tensions are at their highest point since the start of the Israel-Hamas war six months ago, after a suspected Israeli attack this month on an Iranian consular building in Syria killed 12 people, including two high-ranking Iranian military generals. Quds, elite of the Revolutionary Guard. Iran has vowed to retaliate against Israel, and U.S. and Israeli officials have been preparing for an attack, raising concerns about the conflict escalating into a broader regional war.
Biden boarded the presidential helicopter at a park near his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, to return to Washington on Saturday afternoon, shortly before Israeli authorities confirmed they had detected drones being launched toward their territory from Iran. should convene a meeting of National Security Council directors in the White House Situation Room to discuss developments and plan the U.S. response.
National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement Saturday that “Iran has launched an airstrike against Israel.” She added: “The United States will stand with the people of Israel and support their defense against these threats from Iran.”
The Pentagon said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart “to discuss urgent regional threats… and made clear that Israel could count on the full support of the United States to defend Israel against any attacks by Iran and its regional representatives”. Councilor Jake Sullivan also spoke to his counterpart to reinforce Washington’s “ironclad commitment to Israel’s security.”
Biden said on Friday that the United States was “dedicated” to defending Israel and that “Iran will not succeed.” Asked by reporters what his message was to Iran, the president’s only response was: “Don’t do that.”
He ignored a question about what would trigger a direct U.S. military response, and when asked how imminent an Iranian attack on Israel was, Biden said he didn’t want to get firm information, “but my expectation is sooner rather than later.” .
The US, together with its allies, sent direct messages to Tehran to warn against further escalation of the conflict.
During the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, there have been almost daily exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group along the Israel-Lebanon border. US authorities have recorded more than 150 attacks by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria against US forces at bases in those countries since the war began on October 7.
An attack in late January killed three US service members in Jordan. In retaliation, the US launched a massive airstrike, hitting more than 85 targets in seven locations in Iraq and Syria.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, commandos from Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard jumped from a helicopter onto an Israeli-affiliated container ship near the Strait of Hormuz and seized the vessel.
National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said the US strongly condemned the seizure and urged Iran to release the ship and crew immediately.
“We will work with our partners to hold Iran accountable for its actions,” she said.
Also on Saturday, the Israeli-occupied West Bank also saw some of the worst violence since Hamas’ attack on Israel.
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Price reported in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
