US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has said that US forces helped intercept dozens of Iranian drones and missiles launched against Israel from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
Austin condemned the Iranian attack, which was in retaliation to an Israeli air raid on Tehran’s consulate in Damascus, as “reckless and unprecedented”.
“We do not seek conflict with Iran, but we will not hesitate to act to protect our forces and support the defense of Israel,” he said in a statement.
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Australia’s Prime Minister Antony Albanese has joined several other leaders in condemning Iran’s attacks on Israel.
“Iran has ignored our call, and those of many others, not to proceed with these reckless attacks,” said Albanese in a statement.
“This escalation is a grave threat to the security of Israel and the entire region,” he added.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian last week said he had spoken with his German, UK and Australian counterparts about an attack on an Iranian consulate in Syria, which Tehran blames on Israel.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she had urged Amirabdollahian “to promote stability, not contribute to escalation” in a social media post that did not mention the consulate attack.
The Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) has said that Biden’s unconditional backing of Israel is weakening the US on the global stage and making it “ineffective” in advocating global norms.
“The Biden administration’s unwillingness to end Israel’s six month long genocide in Gaza, and the complete disregard for United States and international law, is a major reason for the dangerous escalation in the region this evening,” the group said in a statement.
“Longstanding US policy of impunity and unconditional support for Israel is what has brought us to the brink of a much larger, and very deadly regional war. Enabling Israel’s genocide and regional hubris beyond Gaza is walking the region into total devastation.”
The Lebanese group has said it fired dozens of katyusha rockets against two Israeli military bases in the occupied Golan Heights.
Hezbollah said in a statement that the attack was in support of Palestinians in Gaza and in response to Israel’s bombing of Lebanese villages. It did not mention the tensions between Israel and Iran.
Iran on high alert
Iranian officials have said their response to Israel’s attack on their Damascus consulate will be precise and limited. And that is what we have seen this evening in the operation dubbed “True Promise” by the Revolutionary Guard.
I think we’ve seen the worst of what was to come from Iran. It’s certainly not a full-on attack. And certainly a show of what Iran is capable of. These are scenes we’ve never seen before – Iranian ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones launched at Israel.
According to state TV, the Iranian projectiles hit military targets successfully, but that, of course, has been disputed by Israel.
Now, we begin the next phase of this saga. That is what the Israeli response will be. And for that reason, the Revolutionary Guard remains on high alert and has issued words of warning to Israel.
We heard a commander on state TV saying that any kind of response from Israel will be met [with] a harsher response.
For now, Iranians are waiting to see what Israel will do and whether… they will be able to maintain this conflict where it currently stands without escalating things further.
