United States President Joe Biden on Wednesday extended an "Ironclad" commitment to Israel against any potential Iranian attack. The development comes in the wake of reports suggesting rising concerns of Tehran conducting strikes in the coming few days in response to the blast Israel conducted at the Iranian consular building in Damascus.
The statement came while Biden spoke about the same in a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida yesterday.
"As I conveyed to (Israeli) Prime Minister Netanyahu, our commitment to Israel security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is 'Ironclad'. Let me say it again, 'Ironclad' - all we can to protect the security of Israel,” Joe Biden said.
“We would also like to address the Iranian threat to launch a significant attack in Israel,” the US president added. “All I am calling for is for the Israelis to just call for a ceasefire, allow for the next six, eight weeks, total access to all food and medicine going into the country,” said the president.
Meanwhile, a US government spokesperson further clarified that Iran cannot assume that US forces - which have been reinforced in the Gaza strip since the war started - will be staying out in case there is any escalation in the conflict.
“We have been clear that we do not want this conflict to escalate or spread further in the region. We will continue to undertake diplomatic efforts to ensure that remains the case,” said a US government spokesperson.
“We also retain a military presence in the region to prevent anybody from taking advantage of the conflict," he added.
Iran Threatens To Strike Israel After Damascus Bombing
Notably, the 'Ironclad' commitment by the United States comes hours after Iran's top leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatened in response to the bombing it carried out in Damascus.
In his remarks that were broadcasted by Iranian state TV, Khamenei said, "It was like they attacked our territory when they attacked our consulate area. The Evil regime must be punished and it will be".
The bombing in Damascus has left 12 people killed. Notably, among those killed were Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Gen Mohammad Reza Zahedi and other six guard members.
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Israel Responds To Iranian Threats
Israel, in response to such threats of strike, vowed to answer to any such strike. Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz, in an X post, said, "If Iran attacks from its territory, Israel will respond and attack Iran."
Notably, no formal responsibility has been taken by Israel for the Damascus bombing. Since the last that happened in Iran, it has attributed the blame to the United States and warned not to interfere in its confrontations with Israel.