President Biden Releases Statement Regarding Iranian Attack on Israel; Trump Criticizes Situation

Earlier today, Iran launched several hundred drones and dozens of missiles directly at Israel in what it said was a retaliatory response to an attack on Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps members that killed seven individuals in Damascus earlier this month.

Israeli officials did not confirm or deny whether the attack on the Iranian consulate was by their forces or not.

Israel said it shot down most of the incoming drones and missiles. The United States said it also helped in defending Israeli airspace.

Earlier media reports that President Joe Biden would be addressing the nation appeared to be false. Biden did return to the White House to meet with advisers and released the following statement:

“Earlier today, Iran—and its proxies operating out of Yemen, Syria and Iraq—launched an unprecedented air attack against military facilities in Israel. I condemn these attacks in the strongest possible terms.

At my direction, to support the defense of Israel, the U.S. military moved aircraft and ballistic missile defense destroyers to the region over the course of the past week.  Thanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skill of our servicemembers, we helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles. 

I’ve just spoken with Prime Minister Netanyahu to reaffirm America’s ironclad commitment to the security of Israel.  I told him that Israel demonstrated a remarkable capacity to defend against and defeat even unprecedented attacks – sending a clear message to its foes that they cannot effectively threaten the security of Israel.

Tomorrow, I will convene my fellow G7 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.  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.

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Citation

A full report of what damages were sustained from the attack is unclear. Initial reports are that at least one military installation was hit.

Former President Donald Trump went to Truth Social to state that if he were president, this wouldn’t be happening.

“ISRAEL IS UNDER ATTACK! This should never have been allowed to happen – This would NEVER have happened if I were President!”

Citation

Israel has stated that a retaliatory strike against Iran is likely coming in the next 24 hours.

Iranian officials told the U.N. that they consider the matter “concluded” unless Israel responds. The officials also warned the United States now to get involved.