U.S. warns Iran: We won’t be able to restrain Israel if you attack

A woman walks passed a billboard in Tehran showing Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Gen. Mohammad Bagheri (L) along with US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R). Photo: Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty

AXIOS DAILY | Published November 3, 2024

The Biden administration warned Iran in recent days against launching another attack on Israel and stressed it won’t be able to restrain the Israelis, according to a U.S. official and a former Israeli official briefed on the issue.

Why it matters: After Iran attacked Israel on Oct. 1, in response to a string of Israeli assassinations, Israel responded by hitting military targets but not nuclear or oil production facilities.

Behind the scenes: “We told the Iranians: We won’t be able to hold Israel back, and we won’t be able to make sure that the next attack will be calibrated and targeted as the previous one,” a U.S. official said.

The U.S. official said the message was conveyed directly to the Iranians — notable because such direct contacts are rarely disclosed. The Israeli official said a messaged was passed from Washington to Tehran through the Swiss.
The White House declined to comment. The Iranian mission to the UN did not immediately offer comment.

State of play: Iran has vowed to respond, and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said at event with students on Saturday that the U.S. and Israel “will definitely receive a crushing response.”

Esmail Kowsari, a member of the national security committee in Iran’s parliament, said Saturday that Iran’s security council had agreed on a response but not yet on the exact date and scope.
Kowsari said the attack will be executed in coordination with other “resistance” groups in the region and will be stronger than Iran’s Oct. 1 attack, which involved 180 ballistic missiles.

What they’re saying: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Friday that the administration had “been very clear that Iran should not respond” and that “we will continue to support Israel” if they do.

Pentagon press secretary Gen. Pat Ryder said Friday that the U.S. was moving additional ballistic missile defense destroyers, fighter squadron and tanker aircraft, and several U.S. Air Force B-52 long-range strike bombers to the Middle East.
“Secretary Austin continues to make clear that should Iran, its partners, or its proxies use this moment to target American personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take every measure necessary to defend our people,” Ryder said.

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SOURCE: www.axios.com

RELATED: Following Khamenei’s threats, Iranian forces positioned to strike Israel – report

The S-200 missile system is displayed during the Iranian defence week, in a street in Tehran, Iran, September 24, 2024. (photo credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS)

JERUSALEM POST | Published November 3, 2024

The report comes a day after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a new wave of threats against Israel and the United States.

Iranian forces are positioned to strike Israel in response to its retaliatory strike last month, Al Arabiya reported on Sunday, citing sources familiar with the subject.

The report comes a day after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a new wave of threats against Israel and the United States – promising a “crushing response” to Israel’s October retaliation.

The anticipated attack will be the third directly launched by Tehran on Israel since Hamas’s October 7 attacks. While Israel regularly faces aerial assaults from Iran’s proxy groups in the region, Tehran’s direct assaults have worried international bodies of escalating violence in the Middle East.

It remains unclear if Tehran plans to assault Israel from Iranian soil, as intelligence reports indicate that it may launch the attack from Iraq. The response could also potentially include Tehran’s proxy groups Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and or militia groups in Iraq.