President Joe Biden praised American forces for assisting Israel in intercepting “nearly all” of the drones and missiles launched by Iran, pledging a coordinated Group of Seven (G7) diplomatic response to Tehran’s unprecedented attack.
He further condemned the Iranian attacks on military facilities in Israel and emphasized convening fellow G7 leaders in efforts to prevent further military escalation that might trigger a broader Middle East conflict.
“I will convene my fellow G7 leaders to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack,” Biden said in a statement.
Biden said he had called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reaffirm Washington’s “ironclad” support for Israel, after recent tense relations over Israel’s war in Gaza.
“I told him that Israel demonstrated a remarkable capacity to defend against and defeat even unprecedented attacks — sending a clear message to its foes that they cannot effectively threaten the security of Israel,” he said.
Biden Pledges Support for Israel
He said he had ordered US military aircraft and ballistic missile defense destroyers to the Middle East in recent days, as the likely threat following a presumed Israeli strike on Iranians in Damascus became clear.
“Thanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skill of our servicemembers, we helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles,” Biden said.
Biden further stated that his team would engage with their counterparts across the region and maintain close communication with Israel’s leaders.
“And while we have not seen attacks on our forces or facilities today, we will remain vigilant to all threats and will not hesitate to take all necessary action to protect our people,” he said.
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Iran launches Attack on Israel with Drones and Missiles
Iran launched attack drones and missiles against Israel on Saturday night local time in retaliation for an airstrike in Syria that killed a top Iranian general.
The late Saturday night attack set off air raid sirens in cities across Israel, including Tel Aviv and West Jerusalem, and explosions were heard as air defences intercepted the projectiles.
“More than 200 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles were fired from Iran,” Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said.
The Israeli military said Sunday April 14 that “99%” of the more than 300 projectiles fired at Israel by Iran were intercepted.
“Only a small number of ballistic missiles reached the country’s territory. The remaining ballistic missiles, all cruise missiles and all drones were intercepted before reaching Israeli territory,” he added.
He stated that around 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 ballistic missiles were launched at Israel by Iran.
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Iran Warns of Larger Attacks if Israel Retaliates
Iran has warned that it will respond with more force if Israel retaliates over this weekend’s strikes, which Tehran said were themselves a reply to an Israeli attack earlier this month on its embassy complex in Syria’s capital Damascus.
The attack was reported to have killed seven officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including two senior commanders.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate to exercise its inherent right of self-defense when required,” Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, said in a statement.
“Should the Israeli regime commit any military aggression again, Iran’s response will assuredly and decisively be stronger and more resolute.”
