- United States President, Joe Biden Speaks On Attack
By Abiola Olawale
United States President Joe Biden has condemned in very strong terms the series of attacks launched by Iran on Israel, on Saturday.
The United States president also lauded American forces for their swift action in assisting Israel following an unprecedented attack launched by Iran.
The New Diplomat reports that, on Saturday, Iran launched a direct military attack on Israel, involving hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles.
The Iranian attack came less than two weeks after a suspected Israeli strike in Syria that killed two Iranian Military Generals in an Iranian consular building, marking the first time Iran has launched a direct military assault on Israel, despite decades of enmity dating back to the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Though the majority of the projectiles were reportedly intercepted, the Israeli military command confirmed that a few managed to inflict damage, including a strike on an IDF base in southern Israel, resulting in injuries, including that of a young girl.
Reacting in a statement, Biden expressed condemnation over the attacks. The US president also commended the US troops for strategically positioning aircraft and warships in the region before the attack occurred, underscoring the level of preparedness in response to the escalating tensions.
The statement reads: “Earlier today, Iran—and its proxies operating out of Yemen, Syria, and Iraq—launched an unprecedented air attack against military facilities in Israel. I condemn these attacks in the strongest possible terms.
“At my direction, to support the defense of Israel, the U.S. military moved aircraft and ballistic missile defense destroyers to the region over the course of the past week. Thanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skill of our servicemembers, we helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles.”.
The American Presudent said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reaffirming Washington’s “ironclad commitment to the security of Israel.”
Biden said on Sunday he will meet with other G7 leaders to “coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack.”
The president continued: “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.”
It would be recalled that tension between Israel and Iran had heightened since the start of the Israel-Hamas war when the Palestinian militant group launched a surprise attack killing 1,200 people in Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel subsequently launched an operation to target Hamas in Gaza, killing over 30,000 Palestinians, according to reports.
U.S. and Israeli officials have both accused Iran of providing not only political, but also material backing to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as well as other militias abroad such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Yemen’s Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthi movement, and an array of forces in Iraq and Syria.
