Biden vows to stand by Israel despite recent disagreements

President Joe Biden told reporters Friday that he expected Iran to launch an attack on Israel “sooner than later” as a response to Israel's killing of several top Iranian generals in a bombing in Syria two weeks ago.

Biden said he needed to be careful not to reveal classified information being collected by intelligence and military officials as they braced for an attack they believed was imminent. And he had a blunt, succinct answer when he was asked what his message to Iran was.

“Don't,” he said. Officials in the United States and other nations are engaged in a furious diplomatic effort to try to prevent a response from Iran that could spiral into a wider war.

But Biden and his top aides have made it clear that their disagreement with Israel over the war in the Gaza Strip would not prevent the United States from defending Israel against attacks from other adversaries.

“We are devoted to the defense of Israel,” Biden told reporters at the White House after a speech to the National Action Network. “We will support Israel and help defend Israel, and Iran will not succeed.”

He did not specify what actions the United States might take.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said earlier Friday that the administration was taking the threat of an attack seriously.

“We are certainly mindful of a very public — and what we consider to be a very credible — threat made by Iran in terms of potential attacks on Israel,” he said. “We are in constant communication with our Israeli counterparts about making sure that they can defend themselves against those kinds of attacks.”

Kirby said the U.S. military was making adjustments to its force deployments in the Middle East to be ready in case an attack occurred, but he declined to be specific about those changes.

“We're also clearly — it would be imprudent if we didn't — taking a look at our own posture in the region, to make sure that we're more properly prepared as well,” he said.