The United States says it is working with allies to mount a coordinated response to Iranian drone and missile attacks on Israeli territory over the weekend. At the same time, we continue to urge Israel to exercise restraint and avoid triggering broader regional conflicts.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement that President Joe Biden is “coordinating a comprehensive response with allies and partners, including the G7, and leaders of both parties in Congress.”
Sullivan said the United States would impose new sanctions on Iran in the coming days, including over its missile and drone programs and entities that support the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran’s Defense Ministry.
He added that the United States would strengthen the integration of air and missile defense and early warning systems across the Middle East.
Biden aides have repeatedly called for de-escalation. White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday that the president “doesn’t want to see a war with Iran. He doesn’t want to see the conflict expand or deepen.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to retaliate, but Israeli officials have not said how or when a strike will be carried out.
“We will choose our response accordingly,” said Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, Israel’s chief of military staff.
A direct Israeli attack on Iranian territory would constitute another major escalation, and Tehran has promised a harsher response to such a counterattack.
Tehran launched more than 300 drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, most of which were intercepted by the Israeli military with the help of the United States and regional allies, causing only minor damage to Israeli bases. That suggests Iran may have adjusted the attack to limit casualties or wired it in advance, but the White House has denied this.
Jonathan Ringhold, chairman of the political studies department at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University, said Israel’s counterattack may target Iranian territory but will not cause civilian deaths.
“It will not seek to openly attack any of the regime’s very visible public symbolic structures,” he told VOA. “That could embarrass the regime and make them feel the need to escalate further.”
Ringhold said Iran’s attack was “very, very carefully calculated” and predicted a potential Israeli counterattack would be similarly calibrated. However, he said they could easily lead to dangerous miscalculations.
Israel could choose to take covert action against Iranian officials. It could also launch cyberattacks, said Gregory Hatcher of cybersecurity consultancy White Knight Labs.
“If I were Israel, I would stick to the normal cyber warfare tactics that they have been using for most of the past 15 years, starting with Stuxnet in 2010,” he told VOA.
Hatcher said that in a joint operation, Israel and the United States created Stuxnet malware and injected it into Iranian nuclear facilities, “spinning centrifuges out of control, destroying millions of dollars and slowing down Iran’s nuclear program.” ability”.
Iran said Saturday’s attack was in retaliation for an Israeli airstrike on a diplomatic building in Damascus, Syria, earlier this month that killed seven Iranian military advisers, including two generals.
Pressure on Netanyahu
Netanyahu faces intense international pressure on Israel to end the war in Gaza, as well as intense domestic pressure to release hostages held by Hamas.
The war between Israel and Hamas began when the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 240 hostages. According to Gaza’s health ministry, Israel’s response has killed nearly 34,000 Palestinians. Many humanitarian organizations have warned of famine.
Some international leaders have accused Netanyahu of deliberately heightening tensions with Iran. Among them was Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi of Jordan, a U.S. ally that has helped protect Israel from attacks by Tehran.
“It is well known that Netanyahu’s policies are aimed at expanding the conflict to ease the growing pressure he is under worldwide for the killing, war and destruction in Gaza,” Safadi said on Tuesday.
Türkiye, a member of NATO, also blamed Israel.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that “the main culprit for the tensions on the night of April 13 was Netanyahu and his bloody government,” echoing regional and Western leaders on calls to de-escalate tensions.
Israel has neither confirmed nor denied the Damascus attack and has not responded to Jordanian and Turkish accusations.
Stimson Center Distinguished Fellow Barbara Slavin said it’s unclear whether Netanyahu will heed calls for de-escalation as he considers a response that satisfies far-right members of the government and his own political instincts .
“He has always wanted to attack Iran, specifically going after Iran’s nuclear facilities. He probably thought this was the last chance to defeat all of Israel’s enemies — Hezbollah, Iran, you name it,” she told VOA. “Who’s going to stop him? I’m very, very concerned about that.”
Whatever Netanyahu chooses, Biden has told him that the United States will not participate in Israel’s counterattack.
Begum Erzos of VOA’s Turkish service contributed to this report.
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