Official says this 'should be the end' of direct military exchange between Israel and Iran
Israel’s strikes against “multiple military targets” across Iran tonight were “extensive,” “targeted” and “precise,” according to a U.S. senior administration official, adding that it was “designed to be effective” to deter future attacks from Iran and degrade their capabilities.
“This should be the end of the direct military exchange between Israel and Iran,” the official said on a call with reporters after the operation was over.
“As far as we're concerned, this direct exchange, this should be the end of it. I will say we've heard the same thing from many across the region, including many with close ties to Iran. So we'll see how that unfolds.”
Should Iran decide to respond to these attacks, the official said, “we are fully prepared to defend Israel and support Israel and there will be consequences.”
Over recent weeks, President Biden and his national security team worked with the Israelis “to conduct a response that was targeted and proportional with low risk of civilian harm,” the official said. “And that appears to have been precisely what transpired this evening.”
The official said Biden discussed the overall situation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week and “encouraged” him to “design a response that served to deter further attacks against Israel, while reducing risk of further escalation.”
The U.S. is leaving it to the Israelis to describe the scope of their response.
President Joe Biden was briefed multiple times throughout the evening by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan as the operation unfolded and throughout the day as it was developing, according to the senior administration official.
In a statement tonight, National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett reiterated that the U.S. did not participate in these attacks and is urging Israel to cease any further attacks on Israel.
“Israel has announced that their response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1 is now complete,” Savett said. “As the Israelis have stated, their response was an exercise in self-defense and specifically avoided populated areas and focused solely on military targets, contrary to Iran’s attack against Israel that targeted Israel’s most populous city. We would refer you to Israeli authorities for more information on their operation. The United States was not a participant in this operation. It is our aim to accelerate diplomacy and de-escalate tensions in the Middle East region. We urge Iran to cease its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting can end without further escalation.”
