Biden seeks to head off escalation
Applauds Israel’s successful defense
President Biden and his team, hoping to avoid further escalation leading to a wider war in the Middle East, are advising Israel that its successful defense against Iranian airstrikes constituted a major strategic victory that might not require another round of retaliation, US officials said Sunday.
The interception of nearly all of the more than 300 drones and missiles fired against Israel on Saturday night demonstrated that Israel had come out ahead in its confrontation with Iran and proved to enemies its ability to protect itself along with its American allies, meaning it did not necessarily need to fire back, officials said.
Whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and his government will agree to leave it at that was not yet clear, as the country’s war Cabinet met for several hours Sunday to make decisions about its next steps.
The leaders of the Group of 7 major industrial democracies echoed Biden’s message Sunday morning, condemning Iran for the attack and warning that it could provoke what they called an “uncontrollable regional escalation” in the Middle East.
“This must be avoided,” the joint statement said. “We will continue to work to stabilize the situation and avoid further escalation.”
Although damage from the attack was relatively light, the scope of the strikes went well beyond the small-bore tit-for-tat shadow war between Iran and Israel in recent years, crossing a red line with the firing of weapons from Iranian territory into Israeli territory. Had defenses not held, scores or hundreds could have been killed.
American officials said it was clear to them that wide-scale death was Iran’s intent, despite the fact that its leadership telegraphed the attack well in advance, publicly and privately. Officials said that even as the attack was underway, Iran’s government sent word through Swiss intermediaries that it considered the matter closed.
“I mean, look at the size and the scale, the scope of what they fired into Israel from Iran proper: more than 300 missiles and drones,” said John F. Kirby, the national security spokesperson at the White House, on Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.” “They wanted to cause damage — no question about that. But they were utterly unsuccessful in doing so.”
Emotions were running high among Israeli officials during phone calls with American partners late into the night, and the pressure to fire back was consequently strong. The US officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, stressed that the decision about whether and how to respond was up to Israel.
Israeli jets early Sunday hit structures in Lebanon controlled by Hezbollah after the Iranian-backed militia sent two explosive drones into Israel, but it was not clear how related that was to the Iranian airstrike.
Biden spoke with Netanyahu on Saturday after the Iranian attack and repeated his “ironclad commitment” to Israel’s security. Biden urged restraint, telling Netanyahu that it was time to “think carefully and strategically” about the risks of escalation if the Israelis respond in kind with military force, according to one senior administration official.
The eruption between Israel and Iran came at a time of great tension between Biden and Netanyahu. In a call only 10 days ago, the president threatened to rethink his support for Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip if Netanyahu did not do more to alleviate civilian suffering in the enclave.