The United States said it received ‘last minute’ information from Israel about its drone attack on Iran but President Joe Biden’s administration insisted it wasn’t involved in the offensive.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who is chairing a meeting of G7 countries, revealed the U.S. had given the rest of the alliance the information at a Friday morning session that was changed to address the attack.
Tajani said American officials told G7 ministers that it had been ‘informed at the last minute’ by Israel about the drones it was sending into Iran. ‘But there was no sharing of the attack by the U.S. It was a mere information.’
Israeli strikes hit Isfahan in central Iran, which is where Iran’s nuclear capabilities are located
A senior American official told the New York Times that Israel had notified the United States through multiple channels shortly before its attack against Iran.
The official noted the attack was expected given that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been hinting at one all week.
‘We were not surprised,’ said the official.
The White House has not publicly commented on the attack.
Administration officials were keeping quiet to avoid getting the United States pulled into the conflict between Iran and Israel, the official told the Times.
Another official told CNN that the U.S. ‘didn’t endorse the response.’
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is in Italy for a meeting of G7 foreign ministers, declined to address the strike.
‘I’m not going to speak to that except to say that the United States has not been involved in any offensive operations,’ Blinken told reporters there.
‘We’re also committed to de-escalating – to trying to bring this tension to a close,’ Blinken noted.
He also said the countries shared ‘a commitment to hold Iran to account.’
‘I’m not going to speak to that except to say that the United States has not been involved in any offensive operations,’ U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said when asked about strike
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) was close to ordering a wide-spread attack on Tehran on the night Iran attacked but after he spoke with President Joe Biden (right) he delayed a strike
Tel Aviv struck the city of Isfahan in central Iran was struck at 5am local time, with Israel reported to have targeted an air base near the city that also hosts some of Iran’s nuclear research facilities.
Isfahan is known hotbed for Iran’s nuclear research and houses drone production plants – but the attack is thought to have caused little material damage, and no casualties have been reported.
Israel’s attack was in retaliation for Iran’s on Saturday, when Tehran sent more than 300 missiles and drones at Tel Aviv, most of which were shoot down.
Netanyahu was close to ordering a wide-spread attack on Tehran on the night Iran attacked but after he spoke with President Biden, and because the damage was limited, the Israeli war cabinet postponed a decision.
Biden and other world leaders spent this week urging Israel not to retaliate in a way that would set off a wider Middle East war.
They pointed out Israeli forces are already fighting on two additional fronts: Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, both allies of Iran.
Israel can ill-afford a major conflict with Iran, particularly as the IDF is stretched to capacity amid the ongoing military operations against Hamas and intermittent skirmishes with Hezbollah at the northern border with Lebanon.
Meanwhile, President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran had warned that ‘the tiniest act of aggression’ would draw a response.
But, in the aftermath, Iranian officials sought to downplay any significant damage to its military facilities and outright denied any nuclear plants were destroyed, while Iranian state TV this morning released footage of an undisturbed Isfahan to cast doubt on reports the city had been hit.
Israel’s strike had a smaller scope than expected, which allowed Iranian officials to downplay its significance.
Experts believe that will allow both countries to de-escalate while saving face.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk