On Friday, US President Joe Biden issued a warning to Tehran, saying he anticipated Iran attacking Israel “sooner, rather than later.”
When asked what advice he would give Iran, Biden said succinctly, “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s resolve to stand up for Israel.
“We are committed to defending Israel. We’ll stand with Israel. Iran will not prevail, and we will assist in defending Israel,” he said.
As fears of reprisals increased after an assault on Iran’s embassy complex in Damascus last week that resulted in the deaths of six additional officers and a top commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ overseas Quds Force, Israel readied itself on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies.
The attack on April 1 was not attributed to Israel. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, however, said that Israel “must be punished and shall be” for an operation he claimed was comparable to an invasion on Iranian territory.
Although Biden said he would not provide sensitive intelligence, he did state that he expected an Iranian assault “sooner, rather than later.” Following a virtual address to a civil rights conference, he spoke with media at the White House.
According to a Wall Street Journal article on Friday, the US moved quickly to position warships to defend Israel and American personnel in the area in an effort to avert a potential direct Iranian strike on Israel, which might occur as soon as Friday or Saturday.
According to the newspaper, the US took these actions in an attempt to prevent a larger confrontation in the Middle East after receiving a warning about the date and location of a possible Iranian assault from a person with knowledge of the situation.
The Journal said that while preparations for an assault are being discussed, no decision has been taken, according to a source informed by the Iranian leadership.
Russia, France, Poland, India, and other nations have forewarned their nationals not to come to the area, which is already uneasy because to the ongoing seven-month conflict in Gaza. Germany urged its people to leave Iran on Friday.
John Kirby, the spokesman for the White House, had earlier said that Iran was threatening to strike Israel, although he did not specify when this may happen.
Kirby said that the United States was carefully monitoring the situation and evaluating its own military posture in the area in light of Tehran’s warning.