The US and Israel had been bracing for an attack for days after Iran vowed to retaliate for a suspected Israeli strike this month on an Iranian consular building in Syria that killed 12 people
President Joe Biden and his national security team monitored Iran’s aerial attack against Israel on Saturday, as US forces joined efforts to down explosive-laden drones launched by Tehran.
Biden on Saturday condemned Iran’s attacks and said he had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reaffirm America’s “ironclad commitment” to the security of Israel.
“Tomorrow, I will convene my fellow G7 leaders to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack,” Biden said in a statement, referring to the Group of Seven Major economies.
US forces shot down some Iran-launched attack drones flying toward Israel, according to a US defence official and two other US officials who spoke on Saturday on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter. The US and Israel had been bracing for an attack for days after Iran vowed to retaliate for a suspected Israeli strike this month on an Iranian consular building in Syria that killed 12 people, including two senior Iranian generals in the Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force.
The US defence official said the effort to intercept Iran’s attack was continuing.
Biden cut short a weekend stay at his Delaware beach house to meet with his national security team at the White House on Saturday afternoon, returning to Washington minutes before Israeli officials confirmed that they had detected drones being launched toward their territory from Iran.
