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Joe Biden condemned “unprecedented” Iranian drone and missile attacks against Israel on Saturday evening, calling for a coordinated G7 diplomatic response to Tehran’s “brazen” assault.
Biden said the U.S. military helped Israel neutralize “nearly every drone and missile” fired by Iran and its proxies in Yemen, Syria and Iraq.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said U.S. forces “remain ready to protect U.S. troops and partners in the region, provide additional support to the defense of Israel, and enhance regional stability.”
The American president spoke Saturday evening with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “reaffirm America’s unwavering commitment” to the security of its ally. Biden said he would also bring together G7 leaders on Sunday to “coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack.”
“I told him that Israel had demonstrated a remarkable ability to defend itself and defeat even unprecedented attacks – sending a clear message to its enemies that they cannot effectively threaten Israel’s security,” he said. Biden said.
The United States in recent days moved two ballistic missile defense destroyers, the USS Arleigh Burke and the USS Carney – one of which was already in the region – in preparation for the attack.
The president, who was briefed Saturday in the White House Situation Room alongside his top national security, defense and intelligence officials, said no U.S. forces or installations had been hit during the attack.
The Israeli government separately confirmed that Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had spoken with Austin. In a post on the social media site X, Gallant thanked the US administration “for boldly standing with Israel.”
Saturday’s Iranian attack came at a delicate moment in U.S.-Israeli relations after weeks of friction between Netanyahu and Biden over the growing number of civilian deaths from Israel’s war against Hamas.
Earlier this month, Biden told Netanyahu that U.S. support for his war in Gaza would depend on Israel’s efforts to address humanitarian suffering in the enclave.
The United States has also repeatedly sought to prevent the war between Israel and Hamas from escalating into a regional conflict.
Saturday’s attack could also have repercussions in the US Congress, where a bill providing billions of dollars in additional aid for Israel and Ukraine, already passed by the Senate, is blocked in the House of Representatives due to of the Republican opposition.
On Saturday, the Senate’s top Republican, Mitch McConnell, urged Mike Johnson, the Republican leader in the House, to seek a vote on the bill without delay.
“We cannot hope to prevent conflict without showing resolve and seriously investing in American strength,” McConnell said Saturday. “The Commander in Chief and Congress must fulfill our fundamental duties without delay. The consequences of failure are clear, devastating and avoidable.
Steve Scalise, the House Republican leader, said the lower chamber would “quickly consider legislation that supports our ally Israel and holds Iran and its terrorist proxies accountable.”
Details on the new legislation are scarce, however, and it remains unclear whether the House will pass a version of the existing bill or a new, more targeted aid package for Israel, excluding Ukraine.
Donald Trump, a candidate for re-election in this year’s presidential election, told a crowd at a campaign rally Saturday night that Israel was attacked because the United States had shown “great weakness “.
This “wouldn’t have happened if we were in power,” he told the crowd in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania. “I will prevent World War III.”
Additional reporting by Derek Brower in Schnecksville
