(Washington) Joe Biden assured Israel on Saturday of his “unwavering” support in the face of Iran’s attack, with American forces shooting down drones launched from the Islamic Republic towards Israel, a major escalation in the Middle East.
“Our commitment to Israel’s security in the face of threats from Iran and its proxies (in the region) is unwavering,” the American president wrote on the social network emergency with his national security team at the White House.
Unusually, the President of the United States, a great ally of Israel, cut short his weekend in Delaware, more than 150 kilometers from the capital Washington, before the attack was announced, but while fears reprisals against Israel announced in recent days by Iran were becoming more and more pressing.
This is the first direct attack ever carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran against the territory of Israel, its sworn enemy.
Shortly before Joe Biden’s first direct reaction, a Defense Department official announced that American forces positioned in the Middle East are shooting down “drones launched by Iran and targeting Israel.”
“Our forces remain positioned to provide additional defensive support and to protect U.S. forces operating in the region,” the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity.
” Many hours ”
Earlier on Saturday, the White House estimated that the “air attack against Israel” would “probably” extend “over several hours”.
The American president’s team is in “constant communication” with the Israelis and other allies of the United States, said Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the National Security Council, in a statement.
In the middle of the presidential campaign in the United States, Republican candidate Donald Trump did not fail to criticize his Democratic rival.
The Iranian attack on Israel shows the “great weakness” of the United States under Democratic President Joe Biden, he castigated during a meeting in Pennsylvania.
Donald Trump assured that “this would not have happened if we were in charge”. “You know it, they know it, everyone knows it.”
Returning to the White House at the end of the day, Joe Biden immediately joined the Oval Office to then participate in the crisis meeting in a highly secure room with his main officials, in particular the Minister of Defense Lloyd Austin, the Secretary of State Antony Blinken and CIA chief William Burns, the White House said.
On April 3, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, vowed that Israel would be “slapped” after the airstrikes attributed to it on the consular annex of the Iranian embassy in Damascus. Seven Revolutionary Guards, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic, had been killed.
“From its territory”
Iran launched a drone attack against Israel “from its territory” on Saturday, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari announced in a televised address shortly after 11 p.m. (4 p.m. Eastern Time).
Iranian state television quickly confirmed that the Revolutionary Guard Corps had launched a “vast” “drone and missile” attack on Israel
Wearing a baseball cap, Joe Biden made no comment to the journalists waiting for him as he boarded his Marine One helicopter to return to Washington.
On Friday, he warned Iran against any attack on Israel, while saying he expected it to happen “soon”.
Earlier on Saturday, the United States had already reaffirmed to Israel its “unwavering commitment to the security” of their ally, American national security adviser Jake Sullivan indicated on the X network, referring to an interview Saturday morning with his Israeli counterpart Tzahi Hanegbi.
The interview came after Iran seized a container ship on Saturday that it accused of being “linked” to Israel, near the Strait of Hormuz, one of the sea lanes most used by merchant shipping. . Washington had called on Iran to release “immediately”.