WASHINGTON (Reuters) – US President Joe Biden warned on Friday of a possible Iranian attack on Israel and called on Tehran to exercise restraint.
In response to questions from reporters asking what his message to Iranian authorities would be, he said: “Don’t do it,” and reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to defending Israel.
“We are dedicated to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said at the White House after speaking at a conference on civil rights.
Joe Biden declined to release secure information, but said he expected an attack to occur “sooner rather than later.”
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The scenario of an attack by Iran against Israel, in retaliation for a deadly strike against its consulate in Damascus attributed to the IDF, is gaining credibility, with the White House citing a “plausible threat”.
A sign of increased tension, France recommended on Friday to its nationals to “abstain absolutely” from traveling in the coming days to Iran, Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian territories “in the face of the risks of military escalation “. (Full Story)
India, Poland and Russia have issued the same recommendations in the face of this threat which adds to the regional repercussions of the conflict in the Gaza Strip, which has entered its seventh month.
German airline Lufthansa has extended the suspension of its flights to and from Tehran until April 18. (Full Story)
The Israeli General Staff said Thursday that it had not given new instructions to the civilian population in the event of an Iranian attack, but stressed that Israeli forces were on high alert and ready for different scenarios.
The Iranian authorities blame Israel for the air raid carried out on April 1 against the consulate and the residence of the Iranian ambassador in Damascus. An operation which left seven dead in the ranks of the al-Quds Force, an elite unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, including General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a leading official.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution, declared that the Jewish state must “be punished” for this deadly strike, which he likens to a strike on Iranian soil.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; French version Elizabeth Pineau)
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