Blinken calls up Turkish, Egyptian, Jordanian and Saudi counterparts
Amid rising tensions in West Asia, US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken on Sunday spoke with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan to discuss the ‘blatant’ and ‘unprecedented’ attack by Iran and its proxies on Israel, US Department of State spokesperson Mathew Miller said.
In conversation with Turkish leader, Secretary Blinken thanked him for his efforts to prevent further escalation in the region.
US official also spoke with his counterparts in Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia following Iran’s attacks in Israel.
During his phone calls, Blinken emphasised the importance of avoiding escalation in the region and the importance of “a coordinated diplomatic response.”
In his conversation with his counterparts in Jordan and Egypt, Blinken also underlined the significance of achieving an “enduring end to the crisis in Gaza.”
Spokesperson Miller shared details about Secretary Blinken’s conversation with Saudi Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan, saying, “@SecBlinken spoke with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince @ FaisalbinFarhan to discuss last night’s unprecedented air attack against military facilities in Israel and to coordinate on a diplomatic response.”
“@SecBlinken and Jordanian Foreign Minister @AymanHsafadi discussed Iran’s unprecedented air attack on Israel and the importance of regional de-escalation,” he added.
Meanwhile, the hours-long Israeli
war cabinet meeting ended Sunday night without a decision on how Israel will respond to Iran’s missile and drone attack, CNN reported citing an Israeli official.
The cabinet is determined to respond but has yet to decide on the timing and scope and the official said the military has been tasked with coming up with additional options for a response.
In its first direct attack on Israel on Saturday night, Israel launched more than 300 drones and missiles from its territory towards the Jewish state, triggering air raid sirens throughout Israel on Sunday morning as the country’s advanced air defence intercepted and disabled the projectiles that came its way, the Times of Israel reported.
Amid rising tensions in West Asia, US President Joe Biden made it clear to his counterparts that America will not get drawn into any offensive action against Iran after it launched a barrage of missiles against Israel on Saturday, CNN reported, citing US officials familiar with the matter.
Israeli response was unnecessary
In the conversation between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Biden following the successful interception of Iranian drones and missiles by Israel’s advanced air defence system, Biden suggested that further Israeli response was unnecessary.
Over a phone call with the Israeli PM, Biden said he should consider Saturday a ‘win’ because Iran’s attacks had been largely unsuccessful and demonstrated Israel’s superior military capability, a senior administration official said.
The US assessed that there was “no significant damage within Israel itself,” CNN reported.
Earlier, Iran came out in defence of its retaliatory attack on Israel on Saturday in response to an attack on its consulate in Syria, saying that the “matter can be deemed concluded”.