US President Joe Biden said he did not expect Israel to launch any retaliatory strikes against Iran on Thursday, despite heightened tensions in the Middle East following Tehran's massive missile attack on Israel earlier this week.
"First of all, we don’t ‘allow’ Israel, we advise Israel. And there is nothing going to happen today," Biden told reporters at the White House when asked if the U.S. would allow Israel to retaliate against Iran.
He sought to dispel speculation of imminent military action after Iran's unprecedented missile barrage on Israel.
Iran launched more than 180 missiles at Israeli targets on Tuesday, in what it described as retaliation for the killings of several militant leaders and Israeli aggression in Gaza and Lebanon. The strike followed Israel's airstrike a week earlier that killed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon, as well as Abbas Nilforoushan, a high-ranking commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
As regional powers sought to prevent the conflict from spiraling, ministers from Gulf Arab states and Iran discussed de-escalation efforts during a meeting of Asian nations hosted by Qatar, reported Reuters quoting three persons aware of the development. Two of the sources told Reuters that the Gulf states, concerned about the threat to their oil infrastructure, reassured Iran of their neutrality in the escalating Israel-Iran conflict.
The diplomatic efforts come amid fears that the violence could spread further across the Middle East, with Gulf states caught in the crossfire. Tensions are particularly high along the Israel-Lebanon border, where Hezbollah militants have been clashing with Israeli forces in recent days.
{{/usCountry}}The diplomatic efforts come amid fears that the violence could spread further across the Middle East, with Gulf states caught in the crossfire. Tensions are particularly high along the Israel-Lebanon border, where Hezbollah militants have been clashing with Israeli forces in recent days.
{{/usCountry}}On Thursday, the Israeli military issued warnings to civilians in southern Lebanon, advising them to evacuate areas north of the U.N.-declared buffer zone, signalling a possible widening of its ongoing ground operation against Hezbollah. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched what it described as a limited ground incursion earlier this week, targeting Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon.
At least eight Israeli soldiers have been killed in clashes with Hezbollah fighters, as Israel continues its assault on Hezbollah positions. The situation remains tense as the region braces for potential Israeli retaliation following the Iranian missile attack.