White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby on Thursday said that Washington is "very concerned" over escalating tensions between Israel and Iran after a deadly airstrike on the Islamic Republic's embassy in Syria.
Tehran has warned that it "reserves its legitimate and inherent right" to defend itself after the attack on Iran's consulate building in Damascus on Monday killed several military officials, including two senior commanders. Iranian officials have blamed Israel for the attack, and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has declined requests from Newsweek to confirm or deny its role in the bombing.
Speaking with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Kirby said the White House was "concerned" over the possibility of tensions between Iran and Israel heightening into a full-scale war in light of the attack, adding: "We're all taking this very, very seriously. Nobody wants to see this conflict escalate."
The Context
Iranian officials said that seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed in the airstrike Monday. Iranian state television also reported that at least six Syrian citizens died in the bombing.
The attack comes amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which has sparked conflict between Israel and several Iran-aligned militias. U.S. forces based in Iraq and Syria have also faced over 150 attacks by Iran-backed militias since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, reported the Associated Press.
In a letter obtained by Newsweek that was written by Iran's ambassador to the United Nations Zahra Ershadi earlier this week, the Iranian official condemned the "heinous and abhorrent terrorist attack on the diplomatic premises of the Islamic Republic in Iran" and called on U.N. leadership to address the attack.
"The aggressor Zionist regime bears full responsibility for its consequences," Ershadi wrote, "and the Islamic Republic of Iran reserves its legitimate and inherent right under international law and the United Nations Charter to take a decisive response to such reprehensible acts."
What We Know
Kirby's appearance on CNN came a few hours after President Joe Biden's scheduled phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, marking the first time the two world leaders have spoken since an Israeli strike killed seven World Central Kitchen workers providing humanitarian aid in Gaza this week.
According to the White House readout of the 30-minute meeting, Biden told Netanyahu that the overall humanitarian crisis in Gaza was "unacceptable" and "made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate action on these steps."
Washington continues to support Israel's right to defend itself, however, and Kirby told Blitzer that Iran's threat of retaliation "underscores the threat to the Israeli people in the state of Israel."
"One of the points the president made today in his call to Prime Minister Netanyahu, specifically with this Iranian threat, is the United States will stand with you, we will continue to help you defend yourself against these multiple threats," Kirby added.
Views
While Israel has yet to acknowledge if it was behind the airstrike in Syria, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters on Tuesday that the U.S. had assessed that Israel was responsible. Washington has also said that Iran was told through private channels that the U.S. had no involvement in the attack.
The IDF has taken heightened readiness measures in light of Iran's threats for revenge, including announcing on Thursday, "in accordance with the situational assessment, it has been decided that leave will be temporarily paused for all IDF combat units."
"In the past six months, we have been in the midst of a multi-arena war, and we are on high alert in all arenas," IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in video remarks hours after the Israeli military's announcement. "We are monitoring the threats and thwarting them constantly, from several arenas, and are in a high state of both defensive and tactical readiness."
"We are constantly assessing the situation, taking every statement and every enemy seriously," he added. "We have raised the readiness of combat units as needed, wherever it was necessary, we have reinforced our defense systems, and we have planes ready for defense and prepared to act in a variety of scenarios."
In a statement to Newsweek early Sunday morning, Lior Haiat, spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said via email: "Iran and its proxies, including Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, the Houthis and others, have been attacking Israel and Israelis for the last 6 months."
"Iran is the head of the snake of terror in the Middle East and many other places around the world," Haiat added. "Anyone who attacks Israel will pay a price for its actions."
What's Next?
An attack from Iran against Israel would mark a significant escalation in the conflict in the Middle East. Since the war began in the Gaza Strip in October, Tehran has avoided direct involvement in armed conflict.
Update 4/8/24, 6:37 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional comment from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Kaitlin Lewis is a Newsweek reporter on the Night Team based in Boston, Massachusetts. Her focus is reporting on national ... Read more
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