Washington DC: Lauding Israeli forces for intercepting Iranian missiles and drones, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby on Sunday said that it was an “incredible military achievement” by Israel, adding that Tel Aviv demonstrated that it has friends and is not isolated on the world stage.
In his remarks at the NBC News ‘Meet The Press’, Kirby said that the action taken by Israel demonstrates an extraordinary example of military superiority. He stated that the action shows that Israel has friends. He said that the US will continue to help Israel defend itself.
Asked about the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) statement that 99 per cent of the missiles and drones were intercepted by Israeli and US forces, Kirby responded, “Where things stand this morning is just an incredible military achievement by Israel and quite frankly the United States and other partners that helped Israel defend itself against more than three hundred drones and missiles. I mean, it’s just an extraordinary example of military superiority that Israel demonstrated to the whole world last night.”
“And I think Israel also demonstrated that it has friends, that it’s not standing alone. That it’s not isolated on the world stage. Now, whether and how the Israelis will respond? That’s going to be up to them. We understand and respect that. But, the President’s been very clear: we don’t seek a war with Iran. We’re not looking for escalation here. We will continue to help Israel defend itself,” he added.
In his remarks at the NBC News ‘Meet The Press’, he stated that the US is not looking for a wider war with Iran after Tehran launched a retaliatory attack against Israel and sparked fears of a wider regional conflict in the Middle East. Asked whether the Middle East tensions have escalated into a wider war, John Kirby said, “The president doesn’t believe that it needs to move in that direction whatsoever, Kristen. What Israel demonstrated last night was an incredible ability to defend itself. Just their military superiority was quite remarkable yesterday.”
“I mean, very little got through, and the damage was extraordinarily light. And also, Israel demonstrated again, as I said, that they’re not standing alone, that they have friends. So the president’s been clear. We don’t want to see this escalate. We don’t – we’re not looking for a wider war with Iran. I think, you know, the coming hours and days will tell us a lot,” he added.
In a major escalation amid the ongoing military offensive on Hamas in Gaza, Iran launched several drones and missiles towards Israel in retaliation for the air strike on its consulate in Syria that resulted in the killing of Iran’s three top generals, The Times of Israel reported.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a statement confirming its launch of an attack on Israel, saying it was in response to the Israel Defence Force’s (IDF) strike on a consular compound in Damascus in which several IRGC members were killed, including two generals, earlier this month. The IRGC says it will hit specific targets in Israel with dozens of drones and missiles, apparently cruise missiles.
On Sunday morning, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari also said that 99 per cent of the 300 or so projectiles fired by Iran at Israel overnight were intercepted by air defences. “This is a very significant strategic achievement,” he said in a morning press statement. “The Iranian threat met the aerial and technological superiority of the IDF, combined with a strong fighting coalition, which together intercepted the vast majority of the threats,” Hagari said.
In addition, Hagari said that Iran fired 120 ballistic missiles at Israel.”As you can see now, the base is functioning and continues to perform its tasks. In the picture, you can see the runway at Nevatim,” he said, showing live footage from the airbase. “Iran thought it would be able to paralyse the base and thus damage our air capabilities, but it failed. Air Force planes continue to take off and land from the base, and leave for offence and defence missions, including the Adir (F-35) planes that are now returning from a base defence mission and soon you will see them landing,” he added.
Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Sunday that the confrontation between Iran and Israel is “not over yet.” He said that Israel was attacked with missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles and Israel Defence Forces (IDF) thwarted the attack. He urged Israelis to remain “alert and attentive” to the instructions issued by the IDF and Homefront Command, according to a CNN report.
He said, “The State of Israel was attacked with hundreds of missiles and [unmanned aerial vehicles], and the [Israel Defense Forces] thwarted this attack in an impressive manner.” He emphasised that Israel “must be prepared for every scenario.” Gallant said, “Together with the United States and additional partners, we managed to defend the territory of the State of Israel.” He added, “Very little damage was caused – this is the result of the IDF’s impressive operations.”
