US ON ISRAEL: SOLO MILITARY ACTIONS WILL RESULT IN ISOLATION
There have been numerous attacks on Israel in the past few days. Now, the country is weighing its response. However, the U.S. is taking a different route on this issue as they told officials there to halt. If Israel will counterattack militarily, they will do it alone. This US-on-Israel response is quite an unusual response for a close ally. The relationship between the two countries is "ironclad." But a few months prior, Israel was acting on its own, resulting in objections from its allies, but mainly in the U.S., saying that the counter attacks had gone too far. The Biden administration made clear the US stance on Israel will not participate in any harsh military actions against Iran, fearing a spark of broader war in the Middle East.
The U.S. Stance on Israel War
One of the senior administrators mentioned that Israel has the freedom of action to protect and defend itself. But the US on Israel war is still at a standstill if the country does offensive military operations. The American Soldiers will not envision themselves as participating in such actions.Another second U.S. official added that the message was relayed to Israel's top officials during a private phone call last Sunday between Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Further, Austin reiterated the US stance on Israel, as it will not participate in any possible counter-strike on Israel's behalf.The attack of Iran on Israel last Sunday are having a significant impact on world leaders, including U.S. officials thinking that there were only a dozen ballistic missiles by the Islamic Republic. According to a U.S. intelligence, one senior official's hands were trembling while taking notes in a meeting. This was upon uncovering that they had more than 100 ballistic missiles ready to launch.
Current Attacks on Israel
The attack was believed to be revenge for a military strike on what Iran considered to be Israel's doing. All in all, most U.S. officials acknowledged that Iran had launched around 300 drones and missiles, including more than 30 cruise missiles and 100 ballistic missiles.Aside from the US on Israel halt, two officials were mentioning that around half of those missiles either failed to launch, crashed, or failed in flight before getting their targets. With all the attacks the country was receiving, a reliable air defense system was a must. Also, they still have U.K., U.S., and Jordanian forces arriving to aid them.The American Soldiers are still doing their part as the Israel war progresses. Some forces in the region shot down up to six ballistic missiles and around 80 drones. A missile was shot down near Erbil, Iraq, by the U.S. forces, heading towards Israel.
US on Israel Against Iran
The senior administration official reported that the help of US on Israel preventive effort was a success to avoid Iran's intention, which is to inflict significant deaths and damages in the country. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's response was not clear. Last Sunday, he met with his war cabinet. Top officials are mentioning that a decision may be coming as early as Monday. Further, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke privately with Netanyahu after the attack. On Sunday, he then joined G7 leaders expressing the full solidarity support of the US on Israel. Also, Israel's Lt. Col. Peter Lerner mentioned that coming together under the umbrella of the British, French, the United States Central Command, and other regional players will send a clear message to Iran that they can't get away with their actions.U.S. officials also added that Iran's attack on Sunday was a failure, and the goal now has shifted to carefully calibrating a response with broad international support.Read Next: