Alfaaz- The Words
Washington: The White House has warned Israel that the US will not participate in any retaliatory strikes on Iran, senior administration officials have said.
Over 300 drones and missiles were fired at Israel overnight, which Iran said was in response to an 1 April strike on its consulate in Syria.
Almost all weapons were shot down by Israeli, US and allied forces before they reached their targets.
Officials said Joe Biden urged Israel to consider its response “carefully”.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, a senior administration official said that Mr Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “think very carefully and strategically” about how his forces replied to the unprecedented action, the first direct attack by Iran on the country.
The official added that the Biden administration believes Israel “got the best of it” in the exchange, which began when senior Iranian military commanders were killed at an Iranian consular building in Syria.
About 99% of the missiles, drones and cruise missiles launched during Iran’s retaliatory operation were shot down or intercepted – which US officials point to as a sign of Israeli military superiority over Iran.
US aircraft and naval vessels shot down dozens of Iranian projectiles as the attack took place. More than 80 drones and at least six ballistic missiles were downed by US aircraft and vessels or by air defence forces over Iraq.
This includes seven drones and a ballistic missile as they prepared to launch from Yemen, US Central Command (Centcom) added in an update on Sunday.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned members not to further escalate tensions with reprisals against Iran, saying that the Middle East is already “on the brink”.
Speaking at the Security Council on Sunday evening, he said: “The people of the region are confronting a real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict. Now is the time to defuse and de-escalate. Neither the region nor the world can afford more war.”
At the same meeting, Israel’s UN envoy urged the Security Council to impose “all possible sanctions” against Iran after the nation’s unprecedented attacks.
More than 300 drones and missiles were fired at Israel overnight on Saturday, which Iran said was in response to an 1 April strike on its consulate in Syria. Almost all were shot down before reaching their targets.
“Today the council must take action (and) condemn Iran for their terror,” said Israel ambassador Gilan Erdan at the heated meeting.
For now, all eyes are on Israel as it weighs possible responses to the attack.
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