US officials have expressed their commitment to Israeli security while simultaneously attempting to prevent a major regional war with Iran. Officials in Washington have stated that the US is seeking to deter Iran from carrying out a retaliatory strike against Israel with solid declarations of support for Israel’s security. However, officials still believe that an Iranian missile or drone strike may occur in the next few days. The US hopes that the messages of solidarity and support for Israel from President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken could still prevent Tehran from seeking to hit a target in Israel.
If a direct Iranian attack does happen, Israel would depend heavily on US-supplied weaponry in any response. In this scenario, the US is likely to urge caution in Israel’s response to forestall an uncontrollable escalation into a conflict that could draw in US forces in the region. US officials say much will depend on the specifics of any Iranian attack. If Israel intercepts incoming missiles or drones, or if they fall harmlessly wide of their mark, the Biden administration will appeal to Netanyahu’s government not to act rashly.
The head of US Central Command, Gen Michael E Kurilla, has reportedly arrived in Israel on Thursday to coordinate the response to the anticipated Iranian action with his Israeli counterparts. Meanwhile, the possibility of an Israeli conflict with Iran or with its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, is one of the reasons the Biden administration has given for resisting calls from many in the president’s own party to restrict arms supplies to Israel over the conduct of its war in Gaza.
The prospect of an Iranian strike could also be hampering a long-awaited hostage-ceasefire deal in Gaza, officials in Washington said. The Iranian foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, has spent the past two days consulting counterparts in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, and Turkey. While in Oman, Amir-Abdollahian also passed on a message to Washington that Iran would not act hastily but would respond to Israel’s attack in a way that aims to avoid major escalation.
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