Biden praises Israel’s defense against Iran's ‘unprecedented air attack’

Early on Sunday morning, the President of the United States Joe Biden condemned the attack on Israel by Iran and its proxies. 

“Earlier today, Iran and its proxies operating from Yemen, Syria and Iraq launched an unprecedented air attack against military installations in Israel. I condemn these attacks in any form,” Biden said. 

The American top leader said the U.S. helped play a part in Israel’s successful defense. 

“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,” Biden said. “Thanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skill of our servicemembers, we helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles.” 

Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the attacks, reiterating America's “ironclad support for Israel’s security.” 

In his statement, Biden said: “I told him [Netanyahu] 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.” 

Biden also promised a “diplomatic response” to the Iranian attacks, to be coordinated with G7 leaders. 

“Tomorrow I will bring together my fellow G7 leaders to coordinate a unified diplomatic response to Iran's brazen attack. My team will communicate with their counterparts across the region, and we will maintain close contact with Israel's leaders,” the statement read.

However, according to the Axios news outlet, Biden told Netanyahu during that phone call, that he was opposed to supporting any retaliatory response from Israel toward the Iranian regime. 

Biden is reportedly concerned that an Israeli retaliation could lead to an escalation and possibly even to a regional war. 

Axios cited a White House official, who claimed that Biden told Netanyahu, “You got a win. Take the win.” 

The official reported that Netanyahu said he understood Biden’s position regarding U.S. participation in – or support for – a response against Iran. 

Several unnamed officials spoke with NBC News and said that Biden has expressed concerns that Netanyahu is "trying to drag the United States deeper into a wider conflict."

On Saturday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, asking him to notify the U.S. before any response to Iran. 

In addition, Austin released a statement condemning the attacks and promising support for Israel’s defense. 

“We condemn these reckless and unprecedented attacks by Iran and its proxies, and we call on Iran to immediately halt any further attacks, including from its proxy forces, and to deescalate tensions,” the statement read.

“We do not seek conflict with Iran, but we will not hesitate to act to protect our forces and support the defense of Israel.”