The US "repulses" from Iran/ Refuses to participate in Israel's counteroffensive

2024-04-14 22:34:27, Kosova & Bota CNA

The US "repulses" from Iran/ Refuses to participate in Israel's

US President Joe Biden has warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the United States will not participate in any counteroffensive against Iran following Tehran's massive drone and missile attack on Israeli territory, officials said.

The threat of open war between arch-rivals in the Middle East, and the involvement of the US in it, has increased the pressure in many regions of the world, thus increasing calls for restraint and avoiding further escalation of the situation. .

The US will continue to help Israel defend itself, but it does not want war, said John Kirby, spokesman for US National Security, in comments to the ABC broadcaster.

Jordan's King Abdullah told Biden over the phone that any escalation by Israel would expand the conflict in the region, Jordan's state media reported.

Senior US official: Iran has completed retaliation against Israel
April 14, 21:44

Israeli officials have said the five members of Israel's war cabinet are seeking retaliation, though the panel is split on the timing and scale of an eventual response.

Iran has attacked Israel in retaliation for an attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria on April 1, which killed key military figures.

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied carrying out the attack.

However, the attack with more than 300 missiles and drones, mostly launched by Iran, has caused modest damage to Israel, as Iranian equipment has been shot down by Israeli air defenses, as well as aid from the US, Britain, France and Jordan.

Two senior Israeli officials signaled Sunday that Israel's retaliation will not come soon and that the country will not act alone.

The downing of Iranian drones and missiles has cost $1.2 billion, according to Israeli media, some of which have reported that part of the cost was covered by the US.

Fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East
April 14, 2:40 p.m

Iran's army chief of staff, General Mohammad Bagheri, has said that "our response will be even greater if Israel retaliates against Iran," and has told Washington that its bases could also be attacked if the help Israel in revenge.

The Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, has said that Tehran has informed the US that the attack will be limited and for self-defense purposes, and that it has notified the countries of the region about the attack 72 hours in advance.

A Turkish diplomatic source has said that Iran has notified Turkey in advance.

The US has said it was not notified in advance, but communicated with Iranian officials before the attack through Swiss intermediaries.

The leaders of the seven most industrialized countries in the world (G7) have condemned Iran's attack and said they will work to stabilize the situation, warning that Tehran risks "an uncontrollable regional escalation"./ REL