US warns Iran set to strike at Israel
WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden promised “ironclad” support for Israel as Iran threatens reprisals over a strike that destroyed an Iranian consulate building in Damascus and killed two generals.
Mr Biden’s promise comes despite his public criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the horrific toll on civilians in Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza.
Mr Biden told a news conference Iran was “threatening to launch a significant attack on Israel”, adding: “As I told Prime Minister Netanyahu, our commitment to Israel’s security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad. Let me say it again – ironclad. We are going to do all we can to protect Israel’s security.”
The US President was speaking next to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is in Washington for talks to strengthen the defence ties between the two countries.
US officials have voiced alarm over the prospect of an imminent strike against Israeli interests after Israel on April 1 destroyed a consulate building, killing seven members of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, including two generals.
Amid the heightened risks, German airline Lufthansa on Wednesday announced it had suspended flights to and from Tehran, saying it was “due to the current situation in the Middle East”.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned in a speech on Wednesday, local time, that the “evil regime” of Israel “must be punished and will be punished”.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz swiftly riposted on social media site X: “If Iran attacks from its territory, Israel will respond and attack Iran.”
The US has been tightlipped in its public reaction to the April 1 strike, saying it has not determined whether Israel struck a diplomatic facility.
If it did, then Israel would have committed a serious breach of international agreements on the inviolability of embassies and consulates.