Biden firm on support

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden promised “ironclad” support for Israel against attacks by Iran, with American forces shooting down Iranian drones amid a spiralling crisis in the Middle East.

Mr Biden cut short a weekend trip to the Delaware coast and held an emergency meeting at the White House with his top national security officials after Iran launched its unprecedented attack.

“I just met with my national security team for an update on Iran’s attacks against Israel. Our commitment to Israel’s security against threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad,” Biden said on X.

He posted a picture of the meeting in the wood-panelled White House Situation Room with officials including Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and CIA Director Bill Burns.

HDonald Trump blasted Mr Biden over Iran’s major attack on Israel, alleging that his rival showed American “weakness” in the Middle East.

“God bless the people of Israel. They are under attack right now. That’s because we show great weakness,” he said at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday local time, after the drone attacks.

Mr Trump, who while in office ordered the killing of a top Revolutionary Guard leader in Baghdad and withdrew the US from the Iran nuclear accord, has repeatedly accused his Democratic opponent of a soft approach toward Tehran.

“The weakness that we’ve shown, it’s unbelievable, and it would not have happened if we were in office,” Mr Trump said on Saturday. “But America prays for Israel, we send our absolute support to everyone in harm’s way.”

Biden meanwhile was huddling at the White House with his key military and national security advisers, saying on X that the US “commitment to Israel’s security against threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad.”

Iran had vowed retaliation after a presumed Israeli strike on April 1 levelled an Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus, killing seven members of the elite Revolutionary Guards including two generals.