ORIGINAL LINK: https://www.sedaily.com/NewsView/2D7XMB1B9D
| Reuters Yonhap News |
On December 13th (local time), the U.S. government stated that Iran did not notify it regarding its airstrike on Israel, which contradicts Iran’s claim that it had informed neighboring countries about the airstrike in advance.
Matthew Miller, Spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, said at a regular briefing on the 15th that while there were signs and expectations of Iran’s public declaration to ‘retaliate against’ Israel, there was no “(notification from Iran about the) timing and scale of the attack on Israel.” The day before, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told ambassadors in Tehran that “we informed neighboring countries and the U.S. about the operation 72 hours before the airstrike”.
Reuters also reported, citing Turkish sources, that Iran had informed Turkey in advance that the retaliatory operation against Israel was only a limited response to Israel’s ‘consulate attack’ and would not go beyond that, and this was conveyed to the U.S.
Along with this, spokesperson Miller emphasized once again that the U.S. “does not seek war with Iran” and “wants to ease tensions” in response to the heightened tensions in the Middle East following Iran’s airstrike on Israel.
John Kirby, the White House National Security Communications Assistant, also reacted to reports that Iran had warned so that Israel could prepare for the attack and minimize damage, saying, “It’s not true” and “It’s absurd.”
He reiterated that while the U.S. government has been communicating with Iran and exchanging messages, Iran has never informed them about the “timing, target, and method of the attack.”
He also revealed that the U.S. government is consulting with other major seven countries (G7) governments about new multilateral sanctions targeting Iran’s missile program.
He also mentioned that G7 countries that have not yet designated the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization are considering doing so.
Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson, also confirmed at a regular briefing that “we did not receive any specific information about the exact timing of the attack from Iran” and “Iran did not talk to us about the attack.”
Spokesperson Ryder said regarding concerns about heightened tensions in the region in the event of Israeli retaliation, “As Secretary Lloyd Austin has mentioned, we do not want heightened tensions” and “However, we will take appropriate measures to protect Israel and our troops.”
On the 13th, Iran launched a massive number of armed drones (drones) and cruise missiles targeting the Israeli mainland.
It was unprecedented for Iran to directly attack the Israeli mainland since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, and it was understood that the number of drones and missiles mobilized for this attack exceeded 300 in total.
This attack took place 12 days after the bombing of the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital, Damascus, attributed to Israel, in which seven soldiers, including Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, were killed.
Regarding this attack, Iran claimed ‘operation success,’ but the Israeli military stated that it intercepted 99% of the various projectiles launched by Iran and that there was almost no damage.
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