WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden convened the Group of Seven advanced democracies on Sunday to coordinate a rebuke of Iran over its unprecedented and largely failed airstrike on Israel and prevent a broader regional escalation.
The United States has helped Israel shoot down dozens of drones and missiles fired by Tehran. This was the first time Iran launched a direct military attack on Israel. Israeli authorities said 99% of the incoming weapons were shot down without causing significant damage.
“At my direction, to support Israel’s defense, the U.S. military moved aircraft and ballistic missile defense destroyers to the region over the course of the past week,” Biden said in a statement late Saturday. “Thanks to this commitment and the extraordinary skills of our military, we have helped Israel shoot down almost all incoming drones and missiles.”
Biden, in a phone call that evening with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, insisted that Israel claim victory because of its defensive prowess, as the president sought to deter America’s closest ally in the Middle East from a larger retaliatory strike against Iran. Biden told Netanyahu that the US would not participate in any offensive action against Iran, according to a senior administration official. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
“I told him that Israel has demonstrated a remarkable ability to defend and defeat even unprecedented attacks – sending a clear message to its enemies that they cannot effectively threaten Israel’s security,” Biden said in his statement.
The G7 meeting, Biden said, is intended “to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brutal attack.”
The effort to encourage Israel to show restraint reflected ongoing U.S. efforts to contain Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, now in its seventh month, and to do more to protect the lives of civilians in the area.
Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, criticized the White House for “leaking to the press” that Biden had told Netanyahu to win and not retaliate.
Rubio told CNN’s “State of the Union” that it was “part of the White House’s efforts to appease people” calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
