WASHINGTON: The United States on Saturday urged Iran to stop its attacks on Israel, aiming to prevent further escalation in the region following Israeli strikes on Iranian military sites in response to a missile barrage.
“We urge Iran to cease its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting can end without further escalation,” US National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett stated.
The Israeli military conducted airstrikes on Saturday, targeting Iranian missile bases and other military sites across several areas.
Israel’s “response was an exercise in self-defense and specifically avoided populated areas, focusing solely on military targets,” Savett added, noting that Iran’s attacks had directly targeted Israel’s most populous city.
The United States clarified it did not participate in the Israeli operation. “Our goal is to expedite diplomacy and reduce tensions in the Middle East region,” he emphasized.
A senior US official shared that President Joe Biden, along with his national security team, has worked with Israel “to encourage a response that is both targeted and proportional, with a minimized risk to civilians.”
President Biden had advised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “to design a response that would deter further attacks on Israel while reducing the risk of escalation, and that appears to have been the approach taken tonight,” the official noted.
