US says Israel strikes on Iran are targeted, proportional self-defense
The White House said that this should be the end of any direct fire between the two countries.
Israel's strikes on military sites in Iran appear to have been a targeted and proportional response to Tehran's earlier attacks, with a low risk of civilian harm, a senior Biden administration official said late on Friday.
This should be the end of direct exchange of fire between the two countries, the official said, adding that the US has multiple direct and indirect channels of communication with Iran where it has made its position clear.
The official added that should Iran choose to respond, the US is fully prepared to once again defend against any attack.
The US did not participate
The United States was notified by Israel ahead of its strikes on targets in Iran but was not involved in the operation, a US official told Reuters.
"The United States was notified in advance of the operation, but we are not participating in this Israeli military operation," said a US Senior Administration official.
“We understand that Israel is conducting targeted strikes against military targets in Iran as an exercise of self-defense and in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel on October 1," said Sean Savett, White House National Security Council spokesperson, in a statement. "We would refer you to the Israeli government for more information on their operation."
White House is aware of the situation
President Joe Biden was briefed on the strikes while he was in Delaware, a White House official said. His advisers are not planning to meet at this time.
Reuters further reported that Vice President Kamala Harris was briefed on the strikes against Iran while she was campaigning in Houston. The White House said that she "Is closely following developments and will continue to be updated."
Army radio reported that Defense Minister Gallant and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke by phone, and that Gallant updated Austin on the strike's progress in Iran.
CNN reported that an Israeli source confirmed that Saturday’s attack was 100% Israeli and did not target energy infrastructure but that there continues to be “deep cooperation” with the United States regarding areas such as aerial defenses.
This is a developing story.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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