U.S. Urges Israel to Exercise Caution in Responding to Iranian Attack

Three U.S. officials have stated that following an Iranian attack on Israel, the Biden administration is both privately and publicly urging its Middle Eastern ally to avoid rushing into retaliatory actions. According to Axios, a senior U.S. official noted that Washington assesses that a significant public Israeli strike on Iranian territory would likely provoke a new round of missile and drone attacks from Iran, potentially leading to further regional escalation.

The official added that there is also a risk that efforts to defend Israel against further Iranian attacks may not be as successful as the coordinated defenses that intercepted almost all of the drones and missiles Iran launched against Israel last Sunday.

The Biden administration continues to communicate with the Israeli government, emphasizing the need for Tel Aviv to be cautious and strategic in responding to the Iranian attack. "The Israelis are the ones who must make these decisions, but they had the upper hand yesterday. We will not be part of an Israeli attack against Iran. Our goal is to avoid escalation and regional conflict and to contain the crisis in Gaza," the U.S. official stated.

An Israeli official familiar with the discussions revealed that Israel's War Cabinet met for several hours on Sunday to discuss various options for retaliation but no decision was made, and further discussions are planned for the coming days.

Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme National Security Council stated on Sunday that there are currently no additional military actions against Israel on the agenda, warning that any ongoing Israeli action against Iran would face a response at least tenfold, according to the statement.

On the same day, U.S. President Joe Biden held a group video call with leaders of the G7 nations. A source involved in the call mentioned that all leaders expressed concern about a potential Israeli response that could lead to escalation. The source indicated that there was a resolution among the G7 nations to secretly inform Israel not to take steps that could lead to escalation. Following the meeting, the G7 leaders condemned the Iranian attack on Israel and expressed their full solidarity and support for Israel.

The G7 leaders also declared that they would work to prevent further escalation in the region and called on Iran and its proxies to cease their attacks.