Israeli warplanes attacked Iran on Saturday, causing what Iran called “limited damage.” President Joe Biden has called for an end to direct fire between Israel and Iran.
Three waves of pre-dawn strikes on military targets in Iran completed Israel’s retaliation against Iran on Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces said, in what US officials and others hope will be the final blow to a hostile exchange between the two regional powers. has put the world on edge for weeks, fearing a dangerous escalation of war.
Israel’s military said it struck Iran’s air defense systems and missile production facilities, avoiding nuclear and oil facilities in what appeared to be a limited strike aimed at deterring a show of its military power, avoiding a great escalation.
President Joe Biden told reporters in Pennsylvania on Saturday that he had been informed by Israel before the attack and that he hoped that would be the end of direct fire between Israel and Iran.
In a briefing after the attacks, a senior Biden administration official said this was the “very strong position” of the United States and that it had been “communicated to our partners throughout the region.”
On Sunday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Israel’s attack “should neither be exaggerated nor minimized,” but did not specifically call for retaliation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said its strikes had “severely damaged” Iran and “achieved all its objectives”.
