How is the White House responding?
The White House is stressing its support for the Israeli government. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement that “President Biden has been clear: our support for Israel’s security is ironclad. The United States will stand with the people of Israel and support their defense against these threats from Iran.”
The U.S. has also downed some of the incoming drones. A U.S. military official, granted anonymity to discuss the U.S. response, said, “U.S. forces in the region continue to shoot down Iranian-launched drones targeting Israel. Our forces remain postured to provide additional defensive support and to protect U.S. forces operating in the region.”
Biden has returned to Washington from Delaware and is expected to meet tonight in the Situation Room with members of the National Security Council, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General C. Q. Brown, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, CIA Director Bill Burns and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Is Iran planning on attacking American troops in the Middle East?
While Iran has threatened the U.S. to stay out of its ongoing spats with Israel, and while Iran and its proxies have previously attacked U.S. military bases and installations in Iraq and Syria during moments of serious tension, U.S. officials are not expecting that Iran will target American troops at this time.
A U.S. official, granted anonymity to speak freely about assessments of the incoming strike, said that “indications are they’re not going to come after us,” adding “they are very focused on Israel.”
What does this mean for U.S. support for Israel?
Some Republicans are ratcheting up pressure on the Biden administration to increase its support of Israel in the wake of the attack. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee said in a statement, “This is the moment for the United States to show we stand together with our allies.”