Israel-Gaza-Lebanon in real time: IDF announces the end of strikes on targets in Iran

Israel’s strikes on “multiple military targets” inside Iran were “large-scale,” “targeted” and “accurate,” a senior U.S. administration official said, adding that they were “designed to be effective” in deterring future attacks from side of Iran and degradation. their capabilities.

“This should be the end of direct military exchanges between Israel and Iran,” the official told reporters after the operation.

“As far as we are concerned, this direct exchange must be complete. I will say that we have heard the same from many throughout the region, including many with close ties to Iran. So we’ll see how it unfolds.”

If Iran chooses to respond to these attacks, the official said, “we are fully prepared to defend Israel and support Israel, and there will be consequences.”

In recent weeks, President Biden and his national security team have been working with the Israelis to “take targeted and proportionate action with a low risk of harm to civilians,” the official said. “And that seems to be exactly what happened tonight.”

The official said Biden discussed the overall situation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week and “encouraged” him to “develop a response that serves to deter further attacks on Israel while reducing the risk of further escalation.”

The United States is leaving it to the Israelis to describe the extent of their response.

According to a senior administration official, national security adviser Jake Sullivan briefed President Joe Biden repeatedly throughout the evening on the deployment of the operation and throughout the day on its development.

In a statement today, National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett reiterated that the US was not involved in these attacks and calls on Israel to cease any further attacks on Israel.

“Israel has announced that their response to Iran’s October 1 ballistic missile attack is complete,” Savett said. “As the Israelis have stated, their response was an exercise in self-defense and specifically avoided populated areas and focused solely on military targets, in contrast to Iran’s attack on Israel, which targeted Israel’s most populous city. We would refer you to the Israeli authorities for more information on their work. The United States did not participate in this operation. Our goal is to accelerate diplomacy and de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East. We call on Iran to cease attacks on Israel so that this cycle of hostilities can end without further escalation.”