US President Joe Biden warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US would not take part in a counter-offensive against Iran if Israel decides to retaliate for a mass drone and missile attack on Israeli territory overnight, a White House official said.
The threat of open warfare erupting between the arch Middle East foes and dragging in the US has put the region on edge, triggering calls for restraint from global powers and Arab nations to avoid further escalation.
US media reported earlier on Sunday that Biden had informed Netanyahu he would not participate in retaliatory action in a phone call overnight.
The remarks were confirmed to Reuters by a White House official.
The US will continue to help Israel defend itself, but does not want war, John Kirby, the White House’s top national security spokesperson, told ABC’s This Week programme on Sunday.
Iran launched the attack over a suspected Israeli strike on its consulate in Syria on April 1 that killed top Revolutionary Guards commanders and followed months of clashes between Israel and Iran’s regional allies, triggered by the war in Gaza.
Two senior Israeli ministers signalled on Sunday that retaliation by Israel was not imminent and it would not act alone.
“We will build a regional coalition and exact the price from Iran in the fashion and timing that is right for us,” centrist minister Benny Gantz said ahead of a war cabinet meeting.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant also said Israel had an opportunity to form a strategic alliance “against this grave threat by Iran which is threatening to mount nuclear explosives on these missiles, which could be an extremely grave threat”.
Iran has denied seeking nuclear weapons.
Meanwhile the Department of International Relations and Co-operation said the South African government “was gravely concerned at developments in the Middle East following the retaliatory action by the Islamic Republic of Iran against Israel following Israel’s attacks on Iran’s Embassy in Damascus, Syria, on April 1.
As the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres has stated, there is a “very real danger of a devastating region-wide escalation.
In this context, South Africa emphasises that all parties must exercise the utmost restraint and avoid any act that would escalate tensions in a particularly fragile region.”
Cape Times