White House: Our Strong Message to Iran is Not to Attack Israel

The White House states that its message to Iran is to refrain from attacking Israel, as the United States is prepared to defend its ally in the Middle East. John Kirby, spokesperson for National Security Council under Joe Biden, said in an interview with Channel 12 in Israel on Tuesday that it is difficult to predict the likelihood of a retaliatory attack by Iran on Israel, but the White House takes Iran's 'rhetoric' seriously. He emphasized that the U.S. believes Iran is still 'ready and poised to take action' and added, 'That is why we have bolstered our forces in the region.' Mr. Kirby announced in this interview: 'Our message to Iran has been, is, and will be firm. First, do not do this (do not attack). There is no reason to escalate tensions. There is no reason to potentially start a widespread regional war.' He added that the second message from the White House to Iran is that if an attack occurs, 'we are prepared to defend Israel.' Joe Biden, the U.S. President, also said on August 20, ten days after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, in a brief response to reporters who asked what message he has for Iran, 'Do not act.' The U.S. assumes that the threat of an Iranian attack on Israel remains. On the other hand, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. Army, who was in the region amid escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah on Sunday, stated that the risk of a regional war following Sunday’s events has 'slightly decreased,' but Iran remains a significant threat. General Charles Brown said on Monday evening, at the end of a series of meetings with the Israeli Defense Minister, Chief of Staff, and other senior military officials, that the situation in the region depends on 'the second game; Iran's actions against Israel and how Israel responds to any potential future operations by Iran.' He said this 'management of the second game' will 'determine whether we are facing broader conflict in the region or not.' General Brown told Reuters that there were two events that were known to be going to happen; one occurred. Charles Brown referred to the bombing operation that one hundred Israeli fighter jets conducted starting at 4:45 AM on Sunday, September 4, as a preemptive measure against Hezbollah's offensive operations, which Israeli leaders described as 'neutralizing' Hezbollah's intent to carry out a large-scale rocket and drone attack on Israel starting at 5 AM that day. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, said on Sunday that his country first eliminated the 'Chief of Staff of Hezbollah' (Fouad Shukr) three weeks ago and has now also neutralized Hezbollah's plan for a large-scale attack on Israel. Hezbollah claimed that its attack took place on Sunday this week and that Israel failed to prevent it. Since August 9, when Fouad Shukr was killed by an Israeli airstrike at his residence and workplace in the Dahieh neighborhood of Beirut, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah had promised revenge. Hassan Nasrallah said on Sunday that the first phase of the retaliatory operation was carried out. However, on Sunday, the Prime Minister of Israel warned both Hassan Nasrallah and Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, by name, against continuing attacks on Israel, stating that Israel's preemptive operations in Lebanon 'were not the end of the matter.' The leader of the Islamic Republic emphasized 'blood vengeance' in a message regarding the death of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas's political bureau, who was killed on August 10 at the Revolutionary Guard's headquarters in northern Tehran. Despite nearly four weeks passing since Haniyeh's assassination, which Israel has not yet claimed responsibility for, Iran's promised retaliation has not materialized. Mohammad Baqeri, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, and Abbas Araghchi, the Foreign Minister in the new Iranian government, stated on Tuesday that revenge against Israel is certain. General Brown, summarizing his regional trip and discussions with leaders from Israel, Jordan, and several other countries, stated that the Iranians 'want to respond in a way that conveys their message but are not inclined to escalate the situation.' According to Israeli media, General Brown, along with his Israeli counterpart, Herzi Halevi, visited the Northern Command of the Israeli army on Tuesday and was informed closely about 'threats along Israel's borders with Lebanon and Syria.' Major General Halevi told Charles Brown, 'We are fully determined to continue weakening Hezbollah's capabilities and eliminating its commanders; we will not stop in our work, and our mission is to ensure the safety of residents in the north.' General Brown also met with Yoav Gallant, the Israeli Defense Minister, who told his guest that 'Iranian aggressions have reached their highest level.' Channel 12 of Israel reported that in the Tel Aviv meeting, Israel expressed its desire for the U.S. to fulfill its commitments to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear state and to provide a credible military option regarding Iran. Charles Brown told Reuters that Iran's allies in the region, such as Iraq, Syria, and Jordan, pose a threat, attacking U.S. forces, and the Houthis in Yemen continue to attack ships in the Red Sea and send drones toward Israel. He stated that the U.S. military is 'more prepared to assist in defending Israel' against Iran's previous military attacks. General Brown referred to Iran's launch of over 300 cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and drones toward Israel on April 25 of this year, which was in response to the killing of Mohammad Reza Zahidi, the commander of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard in Syria and Lebanon, who was killed two weeks prior in Damascus, an event for which Israel did not claim responsibility. General Brown said that due to ongoing tensions, U.S. fleets will remain in the region in the coming weeks. Concurrently with General Brown's statements at the conclusion of his regional visit, Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon spokesperson, said on Monday in Washington that Israel continues to face threats from Iran, and the U.S. is continuing its assessment of the situation. Some Israeli officials have stated that their country's operations against Hezbollah on Sunday were limited to still leave a chance for achieving a ceasefire in the Gaza war, and such an agreement would lead to calm on Israel's northern borders and encourage tens of thousands of Israelis living in the north, who have been displaced for about eleven months, to return home. John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council...