US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated on Wednesday that the US military coordinated closely with the Israeli Defense Forces to defend Israel from Iran, and that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris personally monitored the attack.
Speaking at a press briefing, Sullivan noted that no civilian deaths were reported in the Iranian attack, which involved nearly 200 ballistic missiles launched toward Israel. “Today Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles towards targets in Israel. The United States military coordinated closely with the Israeli Defense Forces to help defend Israel against this attack. US Naval destroyers joined Israeli air defense units in firing interceptors to shoot down inbound missiles. President Biden and Vice President Harris monitored the attack and the response from the White House Situation Room, joined in person and remotely by their National Security team.”
He added that the US is working with the IDF to assess the impact of the attack. “We are still working with the IDF and the authorities in Israel to assess the impact of the attack, but at this time—and I stress at this time—we do not know of any deaths in Israel. We do not know of any damage to aircraft or strategic military assets in Israel. In short, based on what we know at this point, the attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective. This was first and foremost the result of professionalism of the IDF, but in no small part because of the skilled work of the US military and meticulous joint planning in anticipation.”
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Sullivan emphasized that the situation is developing and that the US will consult with Israel on the next steps. “We reserve the right to amend and adjust as necessary as we gather more information. The word ‘Fog of War’ was invented for a situation like this. This is a fluid situation. We will consult with the Israelis on next steps in terms of the response and how to deal with what Iran has just done. We will continue to monitor for further threats and attacks from Iran and its proxies. We are particularly focused on protecting US service members,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Tehran Times quoted Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as saying, “In this operation, some air bases and radar centers, as well as the conspiracy and assassination plotting centers against the resistance leaders, particularly Ismail Haniyeh and Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, as well as the military commanders of Hezbollah, the Islamic Resistance of Palestine, and the commanders of IRGC, were targeted.” The IRGC announced the name of today’s military operation against the Israeli regime as “Operation True Promise II.”
The Israeli Defense Forces released footage on Tuesday night showing hundreds of Iranian missiles raining down over the Old City in Jerusalem, marking a significant escalation in the conflict in the Middle East. The IDF further stated that it intercepted “a large number” of the 180 ballistic missiles launched from Iran. The Times of Israel reported that Israelis have now been told they can leave shelters following the Iranian attack involving 180 ballistic missiles.
The IDF stated, “Hezbollah is upset that the IDF exposed their plans to massacre Israelis, so they decided to target innocent civilians by firing a barrage of rockets.”
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