President Biden is assembling seven of the world’s most powerful nations to formulate a unified response to Iran’s attack on Israel.
Mr. Biden said Saturday evening in a statement that he would convene the Group of Seven leaders to “coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack.”
“My team will engage with their counterparts across the region. And we will stay in close touch with Israel’s leaders,” the president said. “And while we have not seen attacks on our forces or facilities today, we will remain vigilant to all threats and will not hesitate to take all necessary action to protect our people.”
Mr. Biden’s desired response is no escalation, according to White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
“The president’s been clear: We don’t want to see this escalate, we’re not looking for a wider war with Iran,” Mr. Kirby told NBC on Sunday. “I think the coming hours and days will tell us a lot.”
Mr. Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following Iran’s attack on Saturday. The president told Mr. Netanyahu that the U.S. does not support an Israeli counterattack, according to Axios.
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Mr. Biden said he reaffirmed America’s ironclad commitment to Israel during the chat with Mr. Netanyahu and he said he lauded Israel’s demonstration of self-defense.
Iran launched dozens of drones and missiles toward Israel on Saturday in retaliation for an April 1 Israeli airstrike on a diplomatic outpost in Syria that killed several Iranian military officials. Israeli officials said the country’s air defenses thwarted the large majority of the Iranian barrage.
• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.
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