National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Sunday that President Joe Biden does not “believe” that Iran’s nightly attacks on Israel should escalate into a broader war in the Middle East.
“The president doesn’t believe it’s necessary to move in that direction,” Kirby said in an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”
His remarks came a few hours after Iran launched attack on Israel with more than 300 missiles and drones. The United States helped Israel defend itself against the attack, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement Saturday evening, and only “a few” ballistic missiles fired from Iran landed in Israel, a spokesman said. spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces.
Most of the cruise missiles launched by Iran were intercepted by Israeli warplanes, the spokesperson said. It was the first time that Iran launched a direct military attack against Israel.
Kirby also refused to “hypothesize” about whether the United States would support an Israeli counterattack against Iran.
“To my knowledge, Israel has not made any decision on what to do next,” Kirby told moderator Kristen Welker.
Asked whether the Biden administration had a “red line” for getting directly involved in conflict with Iran, Kirby declined to identify one, responding: “I mean…we could stay here all day talking about what is and what is. There is no red line. I’m not going to do that.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner, R-Ohio, criticized Kirby’s comments, saying, “There should be a red line.” »
He called on the Biden administration to “take seriously the fact that this attack happened.” This is unprecedented and should certainly be considered an escalation.
Turner nonetheless agrees: “I don’t think at this point that the United States should engage in military action directly against Iran. »
Both Turner and Kirby praised the joint effort between Israel and the United States to use missile defense systems to guard against almost any imminent Iranian attacks. Kirby said the effort was “an incredible military achievement by Israel” and “frankly, the United States and other partners who helped Israel defend itself against more than 300 drones and missiles.” I mean, it’s just an extraordinary example of military superiority.
Turner added: “The United States and Israel jointly developed missile defense technology that worked last night and was effective. »