His message to Iran was: “Don’t do it,” Biden told reporters in Washington on Friday afternoon. “We are committed to defending Israel. Iran will not be successful,” he emphasized, referring to the mullahs’ regime’s announced retaliatory strike against the nuclear power. The US military had previously announced an increase in its presence in the region.
“We are deploying additional assets to the region to strengthen regional deterrence efforts and increase force protection for U.S. forces,” a Pentagon official said Friday. It remained unclear exactly what resources were involved and from where to where the transfer would take place. After the terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas on October 7, 2023, the USA had already significantly increased its military presence in the region and sent several warships to the Middle East.
After signs of a retaliatory strike grew, several states advised against travel to the region. Austria also changed its travel advice accordingly. Lufthansa and its Austrian subsidiary Austrian stopped flights to Tehran. Israel’s largest daily newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, wrote that retaliation was expected in the coming days.
The US said the threat of an Iranian attack on Israel was real. The US President’s Office emphasizes that the United States takes its obligation to defend Israel seriously. The situation is being closely monitored. Iran has blamed Israel for the attack in Damascus, but Israel has not confirmed this.
