United States: ‘We Will Continue to Support Israel’s Defense’

Secretary Blinken: “We don’t want things to escalate.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken conveyed his stance to prevent escalation into a fifth Middle East war amid escalating tensions between Iran and Israel.

According to the Department of State, on the 14th (local time), Secretary Blinken emphasized in a call with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Jordan Ayman Safadi, and Member of the Turkish Parliament Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu that “the U.S. will continue to support Israel’s defense.”

Secretary Blinken stated that the U.S.. did not seek to escalate the situation and mentioned the need for coordinated diplomatic responses. He also spoke about expanding humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and efforts to release hostages. Lloyd Austin, U.S. Secretary of Defense, also said in a call with Khalid bin Salman Al Saud, Saudi Arabian Defense Minister, on the same day that “the U.S. does not seek to escalate the situation” and reiterated that the U.S. will continue to defend Israel.

Following the seizure of an Israeli-operated company’s vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on the 12th, Iran launched a large-scale flyover of armed unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) and cruise missiles on the 13th, targeting the Israeli mainland. The Iranian attacks come 12 days after the bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, on the 1st, which killed seven soldiers, including Mohammad Reza Zahedi, commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

In response to the attack, the Israeli military said it had shot down 99% of the various projectiles launched by Iran using a multi-layered air defense system, including the Iron Dome, and suffered minimal damage, but it is preparing to respond. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Western countries, including the U.S., are predicting that the timing of an Israeli strike against Iran could be as early as the 15th.

Meanwhile, this is the first time Iran has launched a full-scale military attack on Israel’s mainland since the two countries turned hostile following the Islamic revolution in 1979.