washington — President Joe Biden rushed back to Washington Saturday for an all-hands-on-deck meeting after Iran lobbed more than 100 armed drones at Israel, a fierce attack that the White House said in a statement was “likely to unfold over a number of hours.”
Biden issued a photo of himself and Cabinet and intelligence officials early Saturday evening in the Situation Room. In the post, released on the X social media site, he said: “our commitment to Israel’s security against threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad.”
White House National Security spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a mid-afternoon statement that Biden’s team “is in constant communication with Israeli officials as well as other partners and allies.”
After returning to the White House, Biden went to the Situation Room for a briefing.
Among those present, according to the White House, were Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Q. Brown, Central Intelligence Agency Director Bill Burns, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Vice President Kamala Harris and Chief of Staff Jeff Zients dialed in on a secure video connection.
Biden had told reporters Friday that he expected an Iranian attack on Israel “sooner rather than later.” Asked by a journalist what was his message for Iran, the president succinctly replied: “Don’t.”
The U.S. military began moving extra troops and equipment to sites in the Middle East, defense officials confirmed Friday. It has about 40,000 troops in the region.
Earlier in the day, Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, and “made clear that Israel could count on full U.S. support to defend Israel against any attacks by Iran and its regional proxies.”
The U.S. Navy moved two guided-missile destroyers capable of intercepting drones and incoming missiles closer to Israel in anticipation of the Iranian attack, reported The Wall Street Journal.
U.S. Navy forces in the Red Sea have previously intercepted long-range missiles launched toward Israel from Yemen by the Iranian-allied Houthi forces.
The Biden administration’s response to the Iranian attack will be closely watched by his political opponents, coming less than seven months before a general election rematch between the Democratic Party incumbent and his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump.
Even before the Iranian drones reached Israeli airspace, some Republican lawmakers began reacting.
Representative Steve Scalise of the state of Louisiana wrote on the X platform that the United States “must stand strongly with our greatest Middle East ally as they defend themselves against Iran,” adding that the Biden administration “cannot continue to capitulate to terrorists.”
Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn of the state of Tennessee, in a message on X, called for Biden to “move quickly and launch aggressive retaliatory strikes on Iran.”
Some analysts said Biden’s vacillation on the conflict contributed to Tehran’s decision to strike.
“President Biden needs to provide unwavering political support to see Israel through this critical time,” said FDD CEO Mark Dubowitz in a statement sent to VOA. “Biden’s wavering support for Israel in recent months, and the threat from some Democrats to cut off military support, surely emboldened [Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei.”
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