National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that the US will work closely with Israeli officials to determine what the response would be to nearly 200 missile attacks aimed at Israel on Tuesday, while declaring that there would be “severe consequences” for the strike.
At a White House press briefing that took place minutes after the last blasts ended in Tel Aviv, Sullivan said that Iran’s strikes marked a serious escalation of the conflict which began on October 7, 2023 and now threatens to engulf much of the Middle East. He added that initial conversations had taken place between the White House and Israeli prime minister’s office in the wake of the attacks, though he did not read out any plans for a call between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“This is a fluid situation. We will consult with the Israelis on next steps in terms of the response and how to deal with what Iran has just done, and we will continue to monitor for further threats and attacks from Iran and its proxies,” said the US national security adviser. “We are particularly focused on protecting US service members in the region.”
He credited the “professionalism of the IDF” and “meticulous joint planning in anticipation of the attack” for initial reports indicating that no deaths had resulted from the attack. US destroyers deployed in the region assisted in the missile defense effort, according to Sullivan.
“Obviously, this is a significant escalation by Iran, a significant event, and it is equally significant that we were able to step up with with Israel and create a situation in which no one was killed in this attack in Israel,” Sullivan said.
US officials had been bracing for an Iranian response to the killing of a Hamas commander in Iran as well as the killing of Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah in the hours leading up to Tuesday’s attack. The strikes followed an Israeli ground invasion into southern Lebanon, part of the IDF’s efforts to eliminate Hezbollah.
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