The White House and the Israel Defense Forces announced Saturday that Iran had launched a drone attack against Israel, raising concerns of a regional war in the Middle East.
A spokesperson for the National Security Council said President Biden is receiving regular updates on the developing situation and will meet with his national security team at the White House.
NSC spokesman Adrian Watson said the Iranian attack, which had been expected for several days, was “likely to unfold over several hours.”
“President Biden has made clear that our support for Israel’s security is unwavering. The United States stands with the Israeli people and supports Israel’s defense against the Iranian threat,” Watson said in a statement. .
The Israel Defense Forces said Israel was on high alert and its forces were “constantly monitoring” the situation, adding that its air defense forces were also on alert.
The IDF says fighter jets and naval vessels are also on defense missions around Israel.
Iran is expected to attack Israel after an Israeli attack near the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria, earlier this month allegedly killed two senior members of Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). was.
The slain Revolutionary Guards personnel were the highest-profile fatalities since the Israel-Hamas war began in October, and Iran’s biggest loss since the U.S. drone strike that killed Qasem Soleimani in Iraq in 2020. It was the biggest blow since then. Their deaths sparked a public outcry in Iran.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei repeatedly threatened Israel after the Damascus attack, saying Israel would receive a “slap in the face” for its actions. He said striking the embassy was tantamount to attacking the country’s soil.
Israel has not acknowledged the Damascus attack, but Israeli officials have made little comment about military operations against Iran in Syria.
Iran’s counterattack could heighten tensions in the Middle East, which has been volatile since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. Iran is a major supporter of Hamas, which invaded Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 240 prisoners.
That war continues to rage in Gaza, and there are clashes between Iranian proxies and Israeli and U.S. forces across the Middle East. Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels continue to target commercial ships and battle the US Navy in the Red Sea.
Israel’s war in Gaza has killed more than 32,000 people and left much of the area inflamed, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Service.
Israel had been on high alert for more than a week, and an Iranian attack was expected. Israel also has the invaluable Iron Dome air defense system.
Still, some reports said Iran was massing dozens of cruise missiles and drones with the aim of carrying out a deadly attack on Israel that could overwhelm its military. It is not clear what Iran is targeting in Israel, but there are reports that it may be aiming to attack government and military facilities.
The attack could also further escalate tensions between Iran and the United States, which have been escalating during the Israel-Hamas war. Iranian proxies have largely stopped attacking U.S. military bases in Iraq and Syria, which was a near constant in the early days of the Gaza war, but that could change.
The U.S. government has repeatedly vowed to stand by Israel amid Iran’s public threats, a stance underscored by Biden’s phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this month. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also called Israeli Defense Secretary Yoav Gallant on Saturday, emphasizing that Israel has U.S. support.
Gen. Michael Kurilla, the commander of U.S. Central Command, arrived in Israel this week ahead of expected Iranian action.
Biden was scheduled to return to the White House Saturday afternoon after returning from a short vacation in Rehoboth Beach.
Biden will meet with Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Brown and CIA Director Bill Burns at the White House.
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will also be in attendance, as well as Vice President Harris and Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, who will also appear via video link.
This article was updated at 4:58 p.m.
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