By Jeff Mason
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the United States will not participate in any Israeli counteroffensive against Iran, a White House official said on Sunday.
Iran fired hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel on Saturday night in response to a suspected Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria on April 1.
In a statement released Saturday evening following the attacks, Biden said he told Netanyahu that Israel had “demonstrated a remarkable ability to defend itself and defeat even unprecedented attacks.”
Biden did not say in the statement whether he and Netanyahu discussed a possible Israeli response or potential U.S. involvement.
John Kirby (NYSE:), the White House’s top national security spokesman, said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that the United States will continue to help Israel defend itself but does not want war with Iran.
Asked whether the United States would support Israel’s retaliation in Iran, Kirby said “our commitment is ironclad” to defending Israel and “helping Israel defend itself.”
“And as the president has said many times, we’re not looking for a broader war in the region. We’re not looking for a war with Iran. And I think I’ll leave it at that,” Kirby added.
“We are not looking for an escalation of tension in the region. We are not looking for a broader conflict,” Kirby said.