By Palestine Chronicle Staff 
John Kirby, White House national security communications adviser, stated that the Biden administration is “not looking” for a broader conflict with Iran.
In a call on Saturday, US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Washington will not support any Israeli response to Iran, the news website Axios reported.
This decision comes amid heightened concerns that “an Israeli response to Iran’s attack on Israel would lead to a regional war with catastrophic consequences,” Axios said, citing US officials.
Iran launched drones and missiles against Israel in retaliation for Israel’s attack on its consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus on April 1.
The retaliatory attack involved a barrage of attack drones and missiles, with over 200 projectiles fired towards Israel.
According to Tehran, half of the missiles launched towards Israel successfully hit their targets, while the Israeli army claimed that it intercepted 99 percent of Iranian drones and missiles.
During the call, Biden reportedly emphasized the success of the “joint defensive efforts by Israel, the U.S. and other countries in the region” in facing the Iranian attack.
Biden told Netanyahu: “You got a win. Take the win,” Axios reported, quoting an official.
“The official said that when Biden told Netanyahu that the U.S. will not participate in any offensive operations against Iran and will not support such operations, Netanyahu said he understood,” the report added.
Iran Threatens Washington
Iranian authorities stated that they had notified neighboring countries several days prior to the airstrikes.
Addressing foreign ambassadors in Tehran, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir- Abdollahian, asserted that Iran had also communicated to the US about the limited nature of its strikes on Israel, emphasizing they were conducted in self-defense.
John Kirby, White House national security communications adviser, stated that the Biden administration is “not looking” for a broader conflict with Iran.
When questioned on NBC News’s ‘Meet The Press’ on Sunday about whether the situation in the Middle East had escalated into a larger conflict, Kirby responded, “The president doesn’t believe that it needs to move in that direction whatsoever.”
What Happened
On Saturday night, the much-anticipated Iranian retaliatory attack on Israel began, Israeli officials told the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (KAN).
The Iranian retaliation was expected following an Israeli aggression that flattened the Iranian consulate in Damascus on April 1.
Though Israel has attacked many Iranian targets in the past, the attack on the consulate is an escalation since it targeted a ‘sovereign’ Iranian territory – the diplomatic mission.
Washington has warned Iran against retaliating, though the Americans failed to condemn the Israeli aggression on Iran, which resulted in the killing of 13 people, including seven military officials.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
